Cav's Place

The key had been sent in the evening, but it was in the early hours of September 28 when I redeemed Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning – FATE Edition, received from that same guy who gives so many gifts on the GOG.com forums, this time the occasion being the 2022 edition of his “Fight Club” giveaway. One problem is that the installer is too large for the space that’s left on the disk where I have the others that I am or might be interested in playing, so it’s the only game that falls into either of those categories that I haven’t downloaded. Of course, it should be no problem to download it at a later time, and it’s a game that still receives updates, so the downloaded version is likely to become outdated, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, so I probably should at least put it on the external HDD… Or perhaps finally get around to doing something that I’ve been thinking about for a while, which is to leave all of the installers for the games that I’m uncertain whether I’ll ever care to play only on the external HDD, download those for the games that I’m not interested in once again and put them there as well, just in case, and only leave those for the games that I do want to play at some point in both places, which should free enough space to add it.
But, to continue with September 28, I thought that I had a reason to go to the Treasury that day, so I set the alarm to ring at 11 AM, planning to go there and then continue with the shorter part of the walk of the route of the marathon. However, when I looked again at the papers, I saw that I had initially looked in the wrong place and in fact only had a reason to go there on September 30, so I changed the plan and did the long part of the walk that day. I initially only meant to have breakfast before leaving, but considering the distance that I had to cover, I decided to have lunch as well.
I left right at 2 PM, one reason for concern being that my knees were giving some warnings, though those went away after a while. Either way, I obviously started with the last part of the route, going straight to Constitution Square, then continued to the starting location and followed the route from there, staying on that side when I returned to Constitution Square, since I was going to go on the other side later. When I reached the point where the route turns off Unirii Boulevard, I crossed to the other side and turned around, not going as far as the spot where the route actually turns, since I had walked past it on the way to Constitution Square and was going to do so again later. Then, after turning at Unirii Square, I put on the mask and checked that Mega Image, and then also that Carrefour, where I found two 1 kg bags of spoiling bio (organic) apples and bought the one that was quite good, just a part of one apple having been visibly eaten by something. Then I returned to the route and continued, just very quickly checking that Zero Waste store when I got there, without putting the mask back on. I did accidentally cross Elisabeta Boulevard instead of turning on it, but I realized it before I actually finished crossing and went back. And since it was getting late and I had already covered that part, after crossing Libertatii Boulevard again I decided against covering that part a second time, crossed back and went straight to Constitution Square, on that other side. Then I covered the rest of the planned route, continuing past that spot where the marathon’s route turns off Unirii Boulevard, until I could turn and get to Vitan.
The next planned destination was Kaufland, but I started looking for some rice that was on sale in Mega Image, so I first checked that large Mega Image and then a Shop & Go, and when I couldn’t find any left in either of those locations, I entered the Mall and tried to use the display to search for that Mega Image. However, the display didn’t seem to function properly and a guard asked whether he could help me, insisting when I just kept trying to use the display, so I hurried away, trying the floor above before going down to the basement and finding it there. But I still couldn’t find any of that rice, which continued to be the case after crossing the road and checking another Shop & Go. So I continued on my way to Kaufland, checking the hours of another Mega Image and Shop & Go but not entering since they closed later.
After peeing and washing my hands when I reached Kaufland, I entered the store at 9:35 PM, but an employee was cleaning the bakery area and no discounted products were left. But I did find toilet paper and took some time to dig for some good onions, the announcement that the store had closed coming just as I paid at the self-checkout. However, the machine ran out of paper and I had to wait for a couple of minutes until an employee replaced the roll. Then I took some time to stuff the onions in the backpack and throw the toilet paper in a bag… Only to stop again after walking out, to put that toilet paper in a better position in that bag.
After returning to that Mega Image and not finding any of that rice there either, I finally did find it in that Shop & Go, so I got one. I still checked two more Mega Image locations on the way back, however, and while I didn’t buy anything, the cabinets offered something to write about. In one case, I somehow missed them and asked the guard where to put the rice. I had walked in with everything until then, but since that was purchased from one of their stores, I couldn’t really do that anymore, so I put it in a cabinet after the guard pointed to them, though I didn’t lock the door. And at the other location I put the rice and the backpack in a cabinet and found that a coin had been left there, after being released by the mechanism, so I used it to lock the door… And then found why it had probably been left there in the first place, since the mechanism refused to release it after I unlocked, but I insisted, which the other person probably hadn’t done, and eventually managed to retrieve it. And I’ll also add that I felt a little chilly after leaving that Mega Image, and I had taken the jacket with me, but I didn’t bother to put it on at that point, so I just carried it all day for no reason.
I got back at 11:20 PM, just had that apple that was eaten by something, finding that the damage didn’t go too far, put the other purchases, except the apples, in their place, and got to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash, just after 12:15 AM. I was back out just before 1:15 AM, but there were things to wash, I also put the apples in their place, and I also ate something sweet and some nicer snacks while working on dinner. And I had only eaten about half of those snacks, if not less, by the time dinner was ready, so I took a few more minutes to finish those before starting to eat dinner, which I did at 3:20 AM, finishing at 3:55 AM and getting in bed at 5:20 AM, despite not flossing. And I’ll also mention here that there were no visits recorded in either view on September 28.

Since before going to bed I saw two more of those errors from my SSD, and that it was actually reporting one more than what was listed in the system logs, the next day I copied the contents of D: to the external HDD. That increased the number of those errors by hundreds, but after seeing that the probable cause is a faulty or simply loose cable, I then opened the computer, switched the SSD’s cable with that of the VelociRaptor and made sure that all of the cables were fixed properly. And that seems to have been the problem, since I haven’t seen any more of those errors since then. But I was really shaking at that point… Though I otherwise felt surprisingly fine, just my left leg burning a little.

To start with the early hours of September 30, I tried to quickly suck the vitamin C, D3 and zinc supplement as I was starting to eat dinner and it hurt my tongue, which continued to hurt during the day, only getting better in the evening. And I also slept poorly after waking up at 9 AM and going to pee, but I did get some more sleep before the alarm rang, at 11 AM, and I got up, the plan for that day being what had been the original one for September 28.
After leaving a little before 12:30 PM, I hurried to the Sector 3 Treasury, since cash operations end at 1 PM on Fridays, getting there at 12:50 PM. Then I went straight upstairs, asked for the amount that I could withdraw that day and the entire process was completed quickly, so it was still a few minutes before 1 PM when I walked out. That meant that I reached that branch of my bank during that break that’s between 1 PM and 1:30 PM, but one of the ATMs placed outside allows deposits as well, so I used it. Then, after checking that Mega Image and finding good cabbage but not getting any, since I didn’t want to carry it for so long, I got to the point where the marathon’s route turns off Unirii Boulevard and walked that part of it as well, the only moment that I may mention being after I returned to Unirii Boulevard, when I quickly checked a farmers’ market.
I entered another Mega Image when I reached Alba Iulia Square, finding an expiring mix of raisins and nuts, which I grabbed, alongside the cabbage. And I also saw a bag with some cucumbers that were supposedly spoiling, though they seemed good enough to me, so I took that as well, went to the checkout… And that was when the problems appeared. After the cashier scanned that mix and the cucumbers, since they must scan those discounted products separately, on top of the change being rounded down, when I looked at the receipt I saw that the base price of the cucumbers was higher than the listed one, since I had checked. So I complained and when he checked again in the system and said that the real price was what I had been charged, I said that in that case I didn’t want them anymore. He said that I had already paid for them, but when that didn’t change my decision, instead of giving me back what I had paid over what I should have paid for that mix, which was the only discounted product that I was still purchasing, he weighed and scanned the cucumbers again, once again rounded down the amount that was listed before paying it back, and ignored the fact that he had initially charged me for the bag as well. He didn’t comment when I also rounded down when I paid for the cabbage, recovering exactly the 0.07 RON which he had rounded down by the first time, but that still left the 0.14 RON which he hadn’t handed back for the cucumbers. I stepped aside and calculated carefully, to confirm all of that, but I didn’t say anything else, just leaving angrily.
I still had to cover that small part of the route that’s on Burebista Boulevard, but it was hard to pay attention to it when I was so angry. Still, I continued, and when I got back on Decebal Boulevard I calculated and saw that I had more than enough time to cover all of the remaining part of the route, so I quickly checked the Profi, Penny and Mega Image from there, and then also had a quick look in the newer bakery and the Mega Image on the way to the other Penny, which is where the route turned. One problem was that, after deciding against getting the ketchup that was on sale, for dad, from the first Penny, I couldn’t find any of it left at that second one, so I just got a jar of zacusca for him, then made my way back on the other side of the road, to be able to say that I really covered that last piece of the route as well.
I got back a little before 5:55 PM, just ate half of that mix, and went out again at 7:30 PM, the first stop being the Mega Image from Titan, where I found two of those bags of raisins in dark chocolate among the expiring products, even though they were expiring in December. The bags were a little torn, but the tear didn’t seem to actually affect one of them, being just at the top, so I grabbed it… But then I decided to use it in order to take a sort of revenge for being cheated by the cashier from that other location, so I eventually also took a bag that wasn’t expiring soon or damaged and as I wandered around the store I slowly removed the discount label from the first bag and carefully placed it on that second one, so I ended up buying a good bag at the discounted price. And I also got a bag of snacks for dad. But I had spent too much time in that store and it was getting late, so I initially started to run after walking out, though I soon switched to merely jogging the rest of the way to Supeco, which I reached a couple of minutes after 8:30 PM, just getting wine for dad. And when I got back here I also checked this nearby store, but only one piece of regular cheese was left and it weighed almost one kilogram, so I didn’t buy it.
I was back for good a little before 9:40 PM and a few minutes after 10:30 PM I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash, being out again when it was almost 11:25 PM. Then I ate the old orange that was still in the fridge, which I had actually taken at the end of the half marathon, and half of a large bag of healthier bagels, while making mamaliga again. But I used plenty of milk and poured it in right after the water started boiling, so the pot ended up badly burned and, while I finished what I could eat in my room at 3:40 AM, it was almost 4:05 AM when I finished scraping what I could off the bottom of the pot, in the kitchen… And the bottom of that layer was charred… Either way, I got in bed at 5:20 AM.

Moving on to October 5, I left at 4:10 PM, taking the plastic and metal and dropping them in the bins from the metro station, since I had dad’s card. Then I went to Obor, got more of those cheap perfumes for him, since the Hall was open again, and after looking through the indoor farmers’ market as well I made a mental note of someone selling Kapia peppers at a good enough price. But I didn’t get them at that point, continuing to that mall, getting teas from that pharmacy, putting them in a cabinet, which no longer required coins, and entering Carrefour. After getting mushrooms and the single egg with code one that I could find after digging through those sold by piece, and using the self-checkout, I was on my way back to the farmers’ market when I remembered that I also wanted to activate the credit on my prepaid phone card, so I went back… Only to be told that it can’t be done by charging with just 1 EUR anymore, the minimum being 5 EUR. So I just went back out… But the person who had been selling those Kapia peppers had already left by the time I got back there, even though it was only around 6:45 PM. And, while I noticed some cheaper ones outside and they weren’t covered when I went there, after I finished having a look through that area as well, that stall wasn’t manned anymore and the person from the next one told me that the one who was supposed to be there had already left, so I couldn’t buy any from there either. I was probably still in that area when a certain pressing need first appeared, though it was faint at that point.
After a quick look in another store, I went past the metro station and checked that Mega Image, but couldn’t find the cat food that I wanted. So I decided against getting back to the metro station, to walk to the bigger Mega Image that’s on the way to Iancului Square… Only to not find that cat food there either, though at least I got the laundry disinfectant. Then, after crossing in order to get to the metro station at Iancului Square, I realized that there’s a Mega Image there as well, so I crossed again… And only lost some more time, since I couldn’t find that cat food there either, and I also put the bag in a cabinet and then retrieved it, though I still walked in with the backpack. And after that I changed the plan, which had been to go to Unirii, so I just kept walking. I was starting to realize that the increasingly pressing need that I was feeling was not normal, but that didn’t stop me, so I checked the next Mega Image, again putting the bag in a cabinet and retrieving it after once again failing to find any of that cat food… And then, since I wasn’t sure that the discount applied there as well and I didn’t want to ask while I still had other options, I didn’t buy any after finally finding it in a Shop & Go, which I at least entered without bothering to use a cabinet. And that proved to be a good choice when I continued past Kaufland and entered that Mega Image as well, once again putting the bag in a cabinet and finding that cat food, so I could buy it, along with some snacks.
After retrieving my bag, I went to the Orange Store from that mall as well, but one of the employees was apparently on a break, the other was busy, and after a little while I gave up. Then, after putting my things in a cabinet and going back to wash my hands, I entered Carrefour and got bread and something sweet that I found among the expiring products, using the self-checkout and selecting one for each of the pairs of breads, so I won’t need to call an employee in order to get the evening discount. Then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and put everything back in one when I got to Kaufland, washed my hands again… And found no paper bags in the bakery area, and even the few plastic ones that were left were on the floor. But a few sweet pastries were still there and I took one when I saw that an employee was scanning the labels and thought that the discount would increase. However, I just held it in my hand as I also took the price label and checked, and when I saw that the discount hadn’t increased I put it back. And I also decided against getting any of the expiring protein yogurt that I saw, since the discount was too low and there was a lot of it, so I thought that I might have a chance to still find some on another day, when it’ll be even closer to expiring and the discount should also increase. So I ended up only getting something for dad, in good part because I didn’t want to have just wasted time yet again. Then I retrieved my things from the cabinet and arranged everything, but that pressing need was really, awfully pressing at that point and it was so hard to make it back. But I did make it, albeit after unbuckling my belt when I was close to arriving and continuing like that.
I think it was 10:25 PM when I got back, but I’m not quite sure. Either way, I rushed straight to the toilet, what came out and the cramps being a sign of what was to come. And there were also some drops of blood at one point, though those quickly stopped. After that, I put some of the purchases in their place and washed a few of the things that were in the kitchen… Though I first had to find the sponge, which dad had accidentally thrown in a bag, along with some trash, the good thing being that it hadn’t ended up in the bin. I also ate a small apple, that expiring sweet thing and lunch, and went back to the bathroom at 12:45 AM, leaving a little more in the toilet before washing. I got back in the kitchen at 1:30 AM, but there was so much to clean after dad’s cooking, and I also had the remaining purchases to put in their place, so I started eating dinner at 4 AM, finishing at 4:35 AM. I got in bed at 5:25 AM.

The last day that I want to cover in this post is October 11, and I’ll start with the early hours, since I once again made mamaliga, finished eating at 4 AM and got in bed at 5:20 AM. And things were quite unpleasant after I got up, since my face was swollen, my muscles were hurting worse than they had the day before, and I also finally realized that I had lost those 5 RON when I went back out after the marathon.
Still, I left a couple of minutes before 7:30 PM and quickly checked two Mega Image locations and had very brief looks in two confectioneries on my way to Auchan Vitan. However, what I had seen on the site was proven correct, the tea that I had ran out of not being available in that location and the price of the cat food having increased. On the other hand, as I was looking for tea a couple asked me in English about the difference between the types of honey and I couldn’t recall the word for salcam, acacia. I explained that it’s a tree and it’s the kind of honey that doesn’t harden, but I felt quite embarrassed. Either way, I then got two breads for dad, managing to do so just before the employee checked that area and took away what she considered was old. I stuck around for a while, to see whether she’ll place discount labels on that bread, but I saw her throw it into large bags and place labels on the bags, probably to be sold as dried bread, so I eventually made my way to the self-checkout.
After that, I went to Penny, entering with the bread and getting some of that cheap cat food from there. And, after peeing and washing my hands, I entered with everything in Kaufland as well. A 70% discount for bakery products had just been announced and I grabbed some things, and since good evening discounts applied to those as well, I also got some carrots and the one banana that seemed better. I was using the self-checkout when it was announced that the store had closed and they were just closing the regular doors when I left the checkout area, but when I asked how to leave, the guard told me that they hadn’t yet disabled the alarm on the emergency exit, so I had to wait a little. And then I went to one of those tables and took my time to arrange the purchases.
On the way back, I checked that Mega Image, and then decided to make a detour and go to the one next to Tei as well, putting my things in a cabinet but not seeing any bakery discounts and not finding the kind of snacks that I wanted to get for dad either, so I just got him a bag of a different kind. And the receipts were taking a long time to print, the cashier was apologizing to the previous customer as well, so I just took the correct change from a pile of coins that she had on the counter, then also grabbed a 0.50 RON coin that I saw on the stack of catalogs and walked away without the receipt, retrieving my things from the cabinet and stuffing the bag of snacks in the backpack.
I was back at 11:20 PM, ate some plums and candy, and at 12:20 AM I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and shower. It was 1:15 AM when I got back to the kitchen, and since I also sliced the last of the breads bought two days earlier for dad, I couldn’t recover that time, so I started eating dinner at 3:20 AM and finished at 3:50 AM. Something obviously felt wrong with my feet and legs, but it’d have been surprising if that wouldn’t have been the case. Either way, I again got in bed at 5:20 AM.

If I almost managed to finish the previous two personal posts before midnight, in each case only having the last paragraph to add a few minutes later, in this case I just barely managed to finish the part about October 5 by then, so I posted that, made a little change to the last paragraph a couple of hours later, and then added the part about October 11 before going to bed in the morning. This is still much better than finishing posts days later, but some of those posts were also significantly longer…

Since I grabbed them for free and noticed that I can read them quickly and without struggling, I decided to continue with the adventures of Marigold the barbarian, now a chief without a clan, seeking vengeance. And I guess that Grim Work can be enjoyable if you pretty much unplug your brain and let yourself be carried away by such heroic tales that don’t shy away from graphic details and focus solely on the action, depicting characters who conquer overwhelming odds thanks to their incredible strength and fortitude, a solid dose of hero’s luck and a fair amount of stupidity on the part of their enemies. I do, however, recommend reading The Crystal Keep first, even though it was released later, since it offers context and some reasons to care.
The problem is that Grim Work hardly does any of that, the few chapters that depict scenes which took place before Marigold’s solitary attack on the wizard’s tower only briefly showing how he ended up being the only one left and knowing who to take revenge on. Considering his hatred towards wizards and how many he supposedly killed, including some that, by his own admission, weren’t really guilty of anything other than knowing how to use magic, it’s hard to understand how come he and his clan left Cezare to dwell so close to their lands for what seems to have been quite a while. And the action itself requires a completely unreasonable amount of suspension of disbelief, not just because of what Marigold is able to withstand or even all of the hero’s luck, but also because of what he faces. Not that it’s badly written, but the substance is worse than the form, and likely not even enough to set the stage for some tabletop gaming session… Not that it could be, since it depicts a single “player character”.

Rating: 2/5

Since an NGO and Kaufland had a campaign on September 16, offering a card for public transport in exchange for five items brought to Kaufland’s recycling machines, and dad said that he could use it, I went out at 3:20 PM, taking a banana peel, which I threw in a bin. I had five kefir bottles, five oil bottles and five that I was certain would be accepted, plus a glass bottle, and I expected long lines, but I didn’t see anyone when I got there, the guy from the NGO just sitting in front of the machine and chatting with the guard. So I asked whether those white kefir bottles are accepted and was told that they are, so I put those in, keeping the rest. The guy told me that I could put more in, but they were only offering one ticket per person and I had no use for the regular discount ticket that was being given by Kaufland those days, so I said that I’ll use them some other time, then gave my name and phone number when he asked me to, signed and received the card with two trips.
When I meant to put the bag with the rest of the bottles in a cabinet, another guy came and stood behind me, so I stepped aside to let him retrieve his things and wanted to move to another cabinet, wondering whether he was referring to himself or to me, or maybe to something else entirely, when he kept muttering “stupid”. Either way, that other cabinet that I tried wouldn’t lock, so after he left I got back there and put that bag in the one which I had initially meant to use, and also finally put on the mask at that point. And then I unnecessarily went to the information desk, handing the regular discount ticket, which the recycling machine had also printed, to the employee, forgetting that you only need to do that if the machine doesn’t offer the discount because of an error, so she gave me an odd look and then explained that. Not that I had any use for that ticket anyway, since I wasn’t going to buy products from the category that it applied to those days, so I have no idea why I did it at all.
Either way, I grabbed a few things, including something for dad that was listed as being on a two for the price of one deal in the catalog but which had no sign announcing that on the shelf. Since an employee was placing discount labels on spoiling fruits and vegetables at that point, I waited for a while, but I couldn’t see anything interesting after she was done, so I then made my way to the self-checkout, having no problems with it, that two for the price of one deal also being detected correctly.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinet, I also went to Carrefour, despite feeling quite a pressing need. And cabinets were a problem there as well, since I could just spot two free ones and they wouldn’t lock, so it was a good thing that someone else emptied another and I could use that one. Either way, I just grabbed some garlic, since it was on sale and did actually look like it was Romanian, plus some good cornmeal from the expiring products, and had no problems with the self-checkout. Then I retrieved my things from the cabinet, rushed to arrange them a little and got back here a couple of minutes before 5:30 PM, hurrying to take care of that pressing need.

On September 19, I went out at 7:35 PM, taking the recyclables, which I dropped off in a bin on the way to Carrefour, where I found that bread that I get from there unsliced, so I took the one that seemed to look the best. The bag was torn, but I might have accidentally torn it, and I used labels to hold it closed. Then, after getting one thing for dad as well, I used one of the two vouchers which I had obtained for previous purchases, the cashier taking away that receipt.
After getting water for dad and some expiring roes from Penny and not bothering to use a cabinet, I did put everything in a cabinet when I got to Kaufland, then peed and washed my hands and entered the store at 9:15 PM, seeing bakery discounts and grabbing a few things. I also asked the employee whether an evening discount applied to a sweet pastry that had a regular discount those days and she scanned it and said that it didn’t, but seconds later a 75% discount was announced for bakery products, so I went to a self-checkout to check and saw that the 75% discount applied to the listed price for everything, so to the price that included that initial evening discount for the products that had one, and I went back and grabbed some more things. I’d have also wanted potatoes, carrots and plums, all of them having evening discounts, but just after I got the potatoes, as I was weighing them, an employee took away the crates of carrots, even though I checked the time and it was just 9:43 PM. And then he also took away the remaining potatoes, so I wouldn’t have been able to get both if I’d have started with the carrots either. But I wasn’t going to also miss the plums, so I went there and started picking, and an older woman who had just entered the store joined me as I was doing so, saying that she had expected them to stay open until 11 PM.
As I was about to finish using the self-checkout, a guy came to stand next to me, telling another one that he’ll use that machine, and when I told him that it won’t work until I’ll pick up all of my items he said that he knew that, which made me start to panic and rush too much, only realizing after walking away that I didn’t have the receipt, and when I looked I saw that it wasn’t on the machine either, so I asked him whether I had taken it and he said that I hadn’t even taken my change. In fact, I had taken what the machine had given me, but it apparently hadn’t given everything at once, releasing the last two bills after I took the others, and since I didn’t count and was also rushing so much, I didn’t notice. But it’s a good thing that it doesn’t release the receipt until you take all of the bills given as change, and that guy didn’t steal them, so I went back for those bills and the receipt, then stopped next to a free machine and checked everything, the announcement that the store had closed coming while I was doing that. Then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, found a way to somehow carry everything out and then stopped at the first table, taking my time to arrange the purchases and walking away at 10:10 PM.
There was a stray dog on the sidewalk on the way back, and it was barking quite angrily, but no cars were passing at that time, so I walked on the street in order to give it a wide berth. And I also went into the nearby Mega Image, leaving the bag with the water next to the cabinets and getting some onions. I checked the weight at an unmanned checkout and had the exact amount ready when I went to a manned one, but that one listed a slightly higher weight, yet as I started digging through my pockets for the difference, the cashier said that what I had given her was fine.
I got back a few minutes after 11 PM, having to wait a little at the door, since dad had also just gotten back and apparently rushed straight to the toilet, leaving his keys in the door. I had carried 17 kg, without including the onions, and what was strange was that my left ankle, and also some muscles from that leg, which had given me some serious warnings on the first part of the walk, at least until I reached Penny, got much better after that, when I was carrying all of that weight. But that weight was probably why my legs were burning again, and they continued to do so over the following days. Either way, I put the purchases in their place and ate some plums, a piece of a delicious pie brought by dad two days earlier and lunch. It was almost 12:40 AM when I went to shower, but I was quick, being out again right at 1 AM and also sticking to the dinner schedule.

On September 21, I went to the family doctor, leaving at 2:30 PM… And finding myself on the way to the metro station, only realizing it as I was about to take the second turn on that route, so I lost a little time, but I still got there a couple of minutes before 3 PM, which was the time of my appointment. Many people were there at that point, and while the rest were quite clearly waiting for another doctor, one was sitting on that bench, right in front of my family doctor’s door, so I assumed that she was waiting for her and didn’t say anything, just trying to read a little more, since I had once again taken the book with me, even though it was hard to pay attention when those other people kept arguing and trying to push ahead of each other. However, when another person came to my family doctor, asked who was the last person waiting for her and I said that I was, it was revealed that I was actually the only one, since that woman was also waiting for that other doctor, despite sitting quietly on the bench while pretty much everyone else was crowding and arguing a couple of steps away. So I knocked and poked my head in, but was told to wait a little longer and that I’ll be invited, so I put the book away and waited for what turned out to be a few more minutes, maybe even about five minutes, until it was just about 3:10 PM.
To make sure that I won’t forget, I first asked for something that dad needed, and then also for the prescription for the iodine pills for myself, since our authorities were providing them to everyone under 40, just in case. But I was mainly there for her to look over my test results, and dad had scanned and e-mailed all of them to her, so including those from 2021, which he had finally managed to find. However, it wasn’t just that she hadn’t looked at them already, but she couldn’t even find that e-mail at that point, asking whether I also had them on my phone, or if I could call dad and ask him to send them again. So I told her that my phone can’t be used for that and I don’t even have an active credit, and I also hadn’t taken those results with me, despite having considered it, since there was a chance of rain and I didn’t want to risk getting them wet when she should have had them in that e-mail. So she called dad, and he was fortunately running late, so even though he had been supposed to leave at 3 PM, she apparently caught him just as he was walking out the door and he rushed to turn the computer back on and send everything again.
I made some occasional comments while she looked through those results, and when she eventually asked how I was feeling I said that I felt fine, but my running times show that something’s obviously not fine and, with the marathon two and a half weeks away, the slight anemia shown by those latest test results is a worse problem than it might otherwise seem, since I want to complete it in less than four hours and, if I had obtained my best time over ten kilometers just before getting COVID-19, I wasn’t getting anywhere since then. She then asked whether I run because I like it or because I’m in some program, and when I said that I’m not in any program and you can’t like running over 30 km, because it hurts, so I do it because I started and want to keep it up and set targets, she seemed amazed by those 30 km and didn’t even seem to know the distance of a marathon. And when I mentioned the long practice run, she asked how many hours it had taken me and again seemed amazed when I told her. Either way, I then said that, since my latest test results are surprisingly good but still reveal a slight anemia, I’d just want a prescription for that iron which had been prescribed to me after being hospitalized at Coltea and asked whether it was subsidized, but she checked and said that it was only subsidized for children, so she wanted to prescribe something else that was subsidized for adults. But I said that I’ll stick to what I know, and what worked, and that it’s not that expensive anyway, especially compared to iron supplements, so she prescribed it after all, albeit just one box, so for 15 days. And she also added some multivitamins on the prescription, but I decided against getting those, sticking to what I had taken alongside that iron the first time as well.
I was out of the office at 3:35 PM… And again went the wrong way, meaning to go in one direction and finding myself on the way to get back here. And I didn’t want to just turn around, so I kept going for a while, making my way to Kaufland when I could do so without actually turning back. Then, after having a quick look in that sports store, I washed my hands… And found myself wondering what I had meant to get from there, being about to just leave when I saw some catalogs, grabbed one, looked through it and remembered that I wanted beets. However, just four were left and none of them were actually good, but the two small ones were acceptable and I decided to grab them even if I was going to go out again in the evening, so I won’t risk being left without. And the self-checkout machine apparently decided to give me another 0.10 RON coin instead of a 0.01 RON one as change.
After throwing the beets in the backpack, I checked a Mega Image on the way to Tei, putting my things in a cabinet and then retrieving them, without getting anything. And I left getting that iron for another time as well, since there was a long line at Tei and, after waiting for a little while, I checked the time, saw that it was 5:05 PM and decided to walk away. Then, after pointlessly checking that Mega Image as well, once again putting my things in a cabinet and then retrieving them, I checked Supeco for spoiling vegetables without actually entering, just looking from the door and turning around when I didn’t see any. And I didn’t get anything from Carrefour either, but at least I no longer bothered to use a cabinet when I went there. However, I had a look in this nearby Mega Image as well and among the spoiling fruits and vegetables I found a bag containing four cucumbers, three of them small, and they seemed good, so I bought them. I didn’t get a receipt, so I’m not sure whether the cashier charged me for the bag but then rounded down the price or didn’t charge for the bag but rounded it up.
I got back at 5:55 PM, put everything away, had watermelon and lunch, and left again at 7:50 PM, taking the watermelon peel and throwing it in a bin. However, I wasn’t sure where I actually wanted to go, so I stopped for a moment at the corner and eventually decided to go to Carrefour Mega Mall, finding two nicer yogurts among the expiring products and getting one. Then, after having a look in a bookstore, I also went to that location of the pharmacy which I had decided to get the supplements from. I couldn’t pick them up directly, needing to order them first, but I wanted to ask about the iron as well. However, after getting an order ticket and taking my place in line, I changed my mind and left, even though only a couple of people were ahead of me. Then I went to that Kaufland, washed my hands and entered without bothering to use a cabinet, not finding any green onions but finding plenty of beets, so I got some more of those, plus three small Kapia peppers. Those were still expensive despite having an evening discount, but I decided to go for it. Then I wandered around while waiting for 9:45 PM, but the discount didn’t increase, so I eventually used the self-checkout, having no problems. And then I decided to check that Mega Image as well, putting my things in a cabinet and finding a discounted bread that seemed interesting. I picked it up, tried to find the ingredients in that “book” that they have, put it back when I couldn’t, but eventually decided to get it after all, for dad. Then I retrieved my things from the cabinet and took some time to arrange everything in the backpack.
I got back at 10:45 PM, put the purchases in their place, ate something sweet, washed what dad had left, and it was about 11:45 PM when I went to the toilet and to shower. I was done an hour later, but after dealing with dad’s bread, and also with the one which I had bought for myself two days earlier, and since I also ended up paying too much attention to the TV, I ended up starting to eat dinner at 3:20 AM, finishing at 4 AM. And I also banged my head quite hard against the corner of the exhaust hood after taking the beets out of the oven. In addition, the pain which I had started to notice around my appendix after eating mamaliga the previous night was still there, but over the following days it became increasingly clear that it wasn’t something to worry about.

Something felt wrong with my left leg’s muscles, above and below the back of the knee, on September 9, but I still went out at 2:15 PM, first going to Auchan… And realizing on the way that I had forgotten dad’s store card. But I was mainly going to get bread for him and the card offered no direct benefits for that, so I kept going… Only to see just two of those breads when I got there, and the bags they were placed in were torn, which often happens, since they’re so flimsy. But another man asked about that bread and was told that they were just bringing more, and another employee indeed came with a full cart and filled that area, so I got six. Then, after wandering around and just grabbing another liquid soap, I spotted an actual self-checkout that was free and used it without problems, bypassing the long lines from the few other open checkouts.
After having a look in that Penny, putting the purchases in a cabinet and then just retrieving them again and walking away, having decided against getting what I had been thinking of, I continued to Supeco, where I just walked in with everything and bought a few things, even though I still didn’t find any of those candles with the number one. I even asked an employee about them, but she said that she had no idea when they’ll order more.
After spending some time arranging the purchases in my backpack, both inside and after walking out of Supeco, I also went to a Mega Image on the way back, putting the backpack in a cabinet but walking in with the bag with the bread. And I got more of that zacusca for dad, and at the checkout I retrieved the coin from the cabinet in order to have the needed amount, at which point the guard commented that they’re useful for something. I meant to say that it’d be useful if the coins wouldn’t be needed, but didn’t want to start a conversation… Only for the guard to do so anyway, asking what did I get that was so cheap, and then whether it was good and how did I eat it, so I just told him that it was mainly for my dad and got out of there.
I got back a couple of minutes before 6 PM, ate watermelon and lunch, and left again at 7:40 PM, taking the watermelon peel and throwing it in a bin. The traffic I saw on these streets was surprising, but it was explained when I reached the boulevard and saw that traffic was stopped on it, apparently because of clashes with the fans, since a football match was taking place there that evening. And, as I was about to get to Kaufland, a guy picked on me because I was wearing a mask, asking whether I had COVID and then saying that I must have it and cursing my bones to rot. But I just ignored him, checked some prices in Kaufland, hunted around for a few fallen or discarded onions that were better, since the few that were left in the crate were bad, and also picked what ended up being just over one kilogram of grapes. None were left on the shelves, and even the label had been taken away, but I found crates of grapes and plums in the spot where they tend to place them in that location after they take them away from the shelves, used the scales to check the price, telling an employee that I was only doing that when she asked what wasn’t I able to find, saw that they were discounted and went back to the crates to pick some of those that were still good. However, since I meant to get back later and thought that the discount might increase, I then hid the grapes and the onions, just buying a few other things at that moment and leaving them in a cabinet.
After grabbing one more thing for dad and pairs of bakery products from Carrefour, just managing to get what I wanted before the employees who had already started to clean that area took away what was left and entering each of those pairs as a single product at the self-checkout in order to get the evening discount without needing to call an employee, I returned to Kaufland, added those purchases in the cabinet, peed and washed my hands even though it was already 9:45 PM, rushed back in… And saw that the pretzels had an evening discount there as well. That hadn’t been the case when I had first looked, so I had grabbed two for my mother from Carrefour, at a price that was almost 50% higher, but under those circumstances I got four from there as well, plus the last piece of a sweet pastry. A woman picked up that one as I was getting a paper bag to put it in, but then she put it back down and I decided to take it anyway. Then I retrieved what I had hidden, added a Pepsi for dad, and went to the self-checkout, my turn coming when it was announced that the store had closed and the problem being that an employee came and stood next to me, so I was trying to rush and my brain wasn’t really functioning anymore, which led to fumbling while trying to pick everything back up. But I eventually managed it, then took some time to put what I could in the backpack before going to the cabinet, retrieving the other things, taking even more time to arrange everything but the grapes in the backpack, and walking out at 10:10 PM.
I got back at 10:40 PM, added some jam to a pastry purchased from Carrefour and ate that, and rushed to the toilet and to shower, relieved that there was no more blood. On the other hand, I was feeling bloated, and it got worse at night. And I had things to do after the shower, plus that I was occasionally talking to dad as well, so I ended up eating dinner between 3:10 AM and 3:50 AM. And the following night I cheated a little in order to be able to say that I started eating before 3 AM, but then only finished what I had in my room by 3:40 AM, actually finishing dinner when it was past 3:45 AM, since I went back to the kitchen to put jam on the last slices of bread.

On the morning of September 12, I got in bed at 5:20 AM, after being determined to also add the section about August 17 in the post about those odds and ends. And that day marked the first time when I read from The Steel Remains without just “using” it while I was unable to sleep or waiting at the family doctor’s office, though I still didn’t actually set time aside for reading, since I did that while backing up the system on the external HDD. Otherwise, I had to eat dinner earlier, since I was going to have the blood tests done in the morning, so I started a little after 12:15 AM and finished at 12:55 AM. Then I also shaved, and got in bed at 4 AM.

With the blood tests scheduled for September 13, I got up when the alarm rang, at 7 AM, did the day’s squats right away, peed in the container, took that, the book and the plastic and metal and a cardboard box, and left at 8:15 AM, dropping off the recyclables in a bin. However, I somehow ended up looking for that clinic on the wrong floor at first, so I lost a little time and I finally reached the correct floor a little after 8:40 AM. And it’s not like being on the wrong floor wasn’t perfectly obvious, since the one that clinic’s on is the only one from that building where the door to the hallway is locked, people needing to wait in front of it, in the small area between the stairs and the elevators, until someone from one of the clinics comes to invite the next person in. So I waited and read a little, until the guy from that clinic came to invite the next person, who was the woman who was ahead of me, at which point he said that I could go in as well and wait there, which I did. It seemed that others also walked in at that point, but I didn’t really pay attention, just reading a little more until I was called, just before 9 AM… At which point I noticed that the guy had quite a cold. But he did his part, drawing two vials of blood and also taking a vial from the urine, and I was done at 9:05 AM.
That left me with plenty of time to kill before the protest that I was going to attend that day, so I went to Carrefour Unirii and found the pack of Pepsi which I hadn’t found on September 9, so I got one of those as well for dad, even though it meant carrying that weight around for the rest of the day. Also found one bag of spoiling apples that were still more expensive than that kind was at Kaufland those days, but which were Romanian, while those from Kaufland were Polish, so I took it, along with a couple of other things… Only for that bag of apples to not scan at the checkout, so the cashier weighed it again, scanned that new label normally and applied the 50% discount manually, and she also didn’t charge me for the bag. Then, after taking some time to arrange everything in the backpack and a bag, I was walking away a little before 10:40 AM, though I stopped one more time on my way to the protest, to take off the mask and headphones, and also the cap, since I was wearing the torn one and there were going to be reporters there.
I reached the site of the protest right when it was supposed to begin, at 11 AM, though I had to wait for the light to turn green before being able to cross and actually join the others. But the protest actually started at 11:15 AM anyway, with about 15 regular participants plus some members of the organizing NGO, including some actors, making for a total of at most 30, or maybe around 30, since I’m not sure whether a couple of the reporters shouldn’t also be counted as participants. Either way, the chanting lasted less than 15 minutes, then some pictures were taken and we went to file a document at the Constitutional Court, each of us doing so individually and needing to use another entrance, which was some distance away, since that one was blocked due to work being done on the access road. And that generated some discussions, and confusion, because at first we were supposed to go in groups of three, then the gendarmes were saying that just one person will be allowed at a time, then the organizers managed to get them to agree to return to the original plan, but those from the first group said, when they returned, that the lady who was receiving those documents had asked all of us to come at once. However, the gendarmes refused to allow that, stressing that they were in charge of security… Yet when I finally made my way to that entrance, as part of the last group, I found some of the others still waiting, seven of us being there when the gendarmes called the next group, which at that point they said meant six. Since they weren’t willing to allow one more, that meant that just one person was left out, and one woman was on the phone at that moment, so she was that one. Either way, we filed that document, after we walked out a reporter took a picture of the group on those stairs, and that was the end of it.
The moment I returned to the original site of the protest, an organizer asked whether I had forgotten something there, but I hadn’t forgotten anything, I had intentionally left my backpack and bag next to their things. So I picked them back up and walked away at 12:10 PM, only putting the cap and the headphones back on a little later, when I stopped to do so. And I stopped one more time after entering Izvor Park, on a bench, to move two of the four Pepsi bottles to the backpack. Then I walked all the way to Kaufland Basarab, getting there around 1:15 PM and having a look at that confectionery, seeing that they still had those meringue cakes, before putting my things in a cabinet, peeing and washing my hands and face, finally putting the mask back on and entering the store.
After grabbing one thing while I was looking around, I saw that the price of the garlic was even lower than what was listed in the catalog, and it was also listed as being from Romania, so even though I had my doubts about that, I took my time to search through all the crates and got some that looked good and closer to how I’d expect Romanian garlic to look. Then, after seeing an unannounced discount for red cabbage and grabbing one even though it looked rather bad, I got the other things that I had gone there for, wandered around for a while, used the self-checkout without problems, and then also bought one of those cakes from that confectionery… Only for the person who was there to just put it on the glass at first. So I stared in surprise and she asked whether it was to go, finally packing it after I confirmed. I wonder what had made her think that I was going to eat it there, and how, since they don’t have tables inside and she hadn’t given me spoon, plus that I didn’t see her giving unpacked products to those who had been ahead of me.
I took my time to retrieve what I had in the cabinet and arrange in the bags, moving a little when an old woman came and seemed to want to get something from a cabinet that I had been blocking, but she was saying that she couldn’t remember the second cabinet which she had used and there were more cabinets with bags that looked the same. I had actually noticed that as well, but I told her to just try her code and see where it worked, which she did. But then a foreign guy said in English that he didn’t know how the cabinets worked, so I told him… Only for the first one he tried to not work, so I also tried it and confirmed that it wasn’t locking, told him that it was probably broken, tried another, saw that it did work and then left him to it, the problem being that it was just below mine, so I was waiting for him to finish before retrieving what I still had in that cabinet. He seemed uncomfortable with me standing next to him, however, so after a little while he left, saying something about his friends, then returned while I was still there, tried another cabinet, then clapped me on the shoulder and thanked me again as I was about to finally walk away. But I still wasn’t happy with how I had arranged all of those things, so I stopped again after a few steps, trying to do a better job, and then did so one more time once I was outside, finally walking away at 2:40 PM.
I still had a long way to go, however, and also decided to once again check the central location of the Library after all, after checking how to get there from Basarab before leaving and seeing that it involved a pretty small detour. And when I got there I found the door closed but not locked, a document left open on the computer, and nobody around, so I went into the room with books in English, left the bags near the door and started searching, having also taken with me the location of that book, which I had written down before the system failed… Which system is actually yet to recover even now! But that was just a waste of time, since that book wasn’t where it seemed that it had to be, I didn’t spot it while searching that section one more time either, and while I considered grabbing American Gods, to at least get something, I decided against it and eventually just left. I heard some voices on the hallway at one point, but nobody as much as glanced into that room and I once again didn’t see anybody around when I left.
I was walking away from there at 3:40 PM, but I also wanted one of those carrot and orange cakes from that place that’s right next to the Library, having seen several on my way there… But they all seemed to be gone when I went back. So I stared for a while, then tried to work up the courage to ask, but that tray was brought back and I could just ask for one. I did still also say that I was confused, since I had seen them there and then they were all gone, and the person who was there said that she had covered them, but the tray had been wrapped in cling film before as well, so I’m not sure what she actually did. Either way, moments after I finally walked away from that area I realized that, with the books in that room of the Library being separated according to the nationality of the author, if that code is used for all literature in English, I might have been searching in the wrong section, since I had just looked for the section with that code, without even checking whether it was for British or American literature. However, I was starting to feel the lack of sleep and, even though I briefly considered turning back and looking again, I decided against it.
I was back for the first time at 5:05 PM, having carried a good 16 kg and after walking a total of what seems to have been almost exactly 20 km, not including the distance covered while wandering around in Carrefour and Kaufland. And the weight of the purchases should have been pretty equal, about 6.5 kg, or at most a few hundred grams more from Kaufland, with the clothes, shoes, bags and what was in my pockets making up the rest, so I had carried most of that weight all the way from Carrefour Unirii. I was drenched in sweat, the back of the shirt and the areas around my underarms were soaked… And another problem was that the socks which I had been wearing that day were sliding down. Most do, ever since my feet were so swollen, but some, including that pair, which I threw away since then, won’t stay up at all, so that day I used two rubber bands on each sock, to hold them in place, and they had been too tight, so I occasionally had to stop and move those bands, when it was starting to hurt. In spite of that, however, after dropping off what I had brought, I left again and ran most of the way to Penny, to get one more thing for dad. Realizing that I had time to do so, I just walked on the way back, but I nevertheless added another three kilometers to the distance covered that day.
I was finally back for good just before 5:55 PM, put some things in their place, ate the cake and some watermelon, finally starting what ended up being the last one purchased in 2022 with the side that was going soft, which was obviously wilting inside but was still edible, and later also had the apple that looked the worst out of that bag, though the problems were once again only close to the surface. Otherwise, since dad’s note stated that he was going to get back around 7 PM, I kept waiting, but it was 8:40 PM when he finally sent an SMS stating that he’ll be back in about half an hour. So I thought that I’ll have time to go to the toilet and did so… Only for him to call while I was there, and he tried again after I ignored it the first time, so I just quickly wiped the worst of it and rushed back to my room to answer… But he hung up by the time I got there, and didn’t try a third time. And it was in fact just over an hour after that SMS when he finally arrived. Then I finally showered and had lunch, with a large bag of corn puffs instead of bread, and since I was also playing Fate of the World: Tipping Point while eating, just failing one more time, and hadn’t taken a fork either, I ate particularly slowly and it was just after 1 AM when I finished… Or, more exactly, when I finished eating in my room, since there was a little left, which I finished in the kitchen. Either way, I started eating dinner at 3:05 AM, but still finished at 3:40 AM.

Though I had been told that they’ll be ready on Friday, so on September 16, it was that very morning, and early, when I got the SMS announcing that my test results were already waiting. So, in spite of all the effort made the previous day and the fact that I had a dentist appointment that afternoon, to fix the lost filling, when I woke up the second time, just before 11:50 AM, I decided to rush to get them, just eating a banana, leaving at 12:30 PM and getting there at 12:55 PM. Several people were waiting in front of that locked door at that point, commenting about that annoying policy that only applies on that floor, and I ended up standing, since someone was even sitting on the stairs, but I had once again taken the book, so I read a couple more pages until someone else called and the guy from that clinic eventually came, taking the papers from the three of us who were waiting for results from there and then bringing said results, without us going in. And I stopped on my way down to glance over my results, noticing that they were surprisingly good, before walking out at 1:15 PM.
I was back at 1:40 PM, had breakfast, thoroughly flossed and brushed, also considered using some mouthwash but decided against it, in part because it had expired long ago and in part because I didn’t have the time, and left again a little after 2:55 PM. The appointment was for 3 PM, but it took me two minutes to get to the dentist, so it was fine. I had taken the mask with me, but hadn’t put it on, in case I’ll be called in right away. On the other hand, in case I’ll end up needing to wait, I had taken the book as well, and I took it out after sitting down, but I didn’t have time to read anything, being called in almost right away.
The doctor was a new one and at first she was treating me like a child, then seemed to gradually move towards seeing me as an adult, while towards the end she switched to formal speech, actually being completely set in it after she finished working, using the “polite” plural and pronouns, which I find really annoying. And another annoying thing was that dad called while I was there, so I rejected the call, since he clearly knew where I was… Only for him to call again a little later, when they were already working on the filling and I definitely couldn’t answer, so the assistant asked whether I’ll let her answer and I agreed, so she did that and he just hung up, later telling me that he hadn’t checked the time. Either way, they ended up having quite a meeting while working on my teeth, four or five people ending up in that room, talking about some of them graduating medical school, going on vacation… And, on top of replacing that filling, the dentist also fixed a cavity in the next tooth. And she was also saying that I really needed the tartar removed, insisted to make an appointment for that, but I said that I wanted to focus on the marathon and she said that she’ll let me do that if I’ll promise to make that appointment after it. But I sort of just shrugged, not promising anything, and I’m in fact yet to go back there, that prospect being scary enough even without considering the costs.
Speaking of costs, she said that removing the tartar was going to cost 350 RON… But the bigger shock at that moment was the price of those two fillings, which was 500 RON, and that was supposedly after she had given me a discount of 100 RON because she had done both in a single sitting. I pointed out that their site was listing 150-200 RON for fillings at that point, but she said that those were old prices and they hadn’t updated them, showing me the printed list that they had there. So I had quite a problem, only having 200 RON with me, but they accepted that amount at that moment and I said that I’ll bring the rest the next day. But I didn’t need to do that, since I told dad about it and he went there and paid the difference when he got back.
Either way, after a quick look in the nearby Mega Image, I got back at 4:05 PM and left again at 7:25 PM, deciding to first go to Auchan, just putting on the mask when I got there, finding a few things to get and using a self-checkout without problems. I had meant to go straight to that newer Kaufland after that, but I hadn’t checked that route again before leaving and the lack of sleep was really getting to me, so I decided to play it safe and first go to Park Lake, having a look in Carrefour but not finding anything to get. And then I ended up not going to Kaufland at all, starting to walk in that direction but deciding after a little while that I no longer wanted to risk it based just on the fact that the site still listed the closing time for that location as 11 PM, since there was a chance that it had actually changed back to 10 PM and they hadn’t updated it yet on the site, plus that I had also decided to make myself another mamaliga that night, so I turned around and got back just before 10:15 PM. Then I ate something sweet which dad had brought from mother and a couple of the plums which she had added in that box, went to the toilet and showered, and then made that mamaliga and cleaned everything that dad had left in the kitchen after cooking.

On November 18, I got up when the alarm rang, at 1:30 PM, after actually waking up on my own just a few seconds earlier. Then I had all of the usual stuff, with the sweet thing again being two of those nicer biscuits, with added honey, and I left at 3:25 PM, wearing the full running gear. It was very cloudy and the reported temperature was 11-12°C, holding steady.
The time was 46:22.35, with sector times of 4:14.45, 4:58.37, 5:49 (5:48.72), 4:24 (4:23.84), 4:51 (4:50.97), 5:41.00, 4:14.06, 4:52.07, 5:34.31 and 1:45 (1:44.56), making for lap times of 15:01.54, 14:56 (14:55.81) and 14:40.44. I again initially just aimed to stay under 48 minutes, and the first sector seemed slower than it should have been, since I was pushing, so I pushed harder and the first lap’s time made me wonder about being faster, even thinking of getting under 47 minutes. That didn’t seem possible at the time, but after sector one of lap two I again pushed hard and the result were great sector times and a lap covered in less than 15 minutes, so I just went for it, giving everything in an attempt to get under 47 minutes. It still seemed unlikely at first, but the sector times were once again great, sector three really standing out, and the lap was clearly the fastest of the day, so at the end of it I knew that I should even be able to get under 46:30, which I managed by some margin. The total time is tied for fourth fastest if I just look at the seconds, but almost half a second faster than the other 46:22 if I take the exact time into account. And that lap three was the fourth fastest lap, and the fastest lap three, not just the three lap times before it, but also what at the time were the next five after it, all being obtained on lap one. And that sector three was also the fifth fastest sector three.
Some parts of the lane had been repaired and three areas were fenced off because of that, all of them being in front of stalls, and while there was some more room around one of them, the other two led to slowing because of women with babies in strollers, once on sector two of lap one, right on the long straight, and once on sector three of lap two. And on sector one of lap three I had to quickly avoid two kids who were wrestling and moved in my way when I was about to go around them. Otherwise, there were some windy areas, mainly that one at the start of sector three, which was getting worse with each lap, and on lap three I was also fighting the wind to some extent on the first straight. But at least there were no physical problems, as a time like that should prove.

After very quickly checking the nearby Mega Image on the way, I got back, eventually had lunch, changed and left again at 7:40 PM. I had reserved something for dad from a pharmacy before leaving, to make sure that I’ll find it, but I first went to Penny, getting what I wanted and also being fair and pointing out to the cashier that she had entered four bags of peas instead of five. Then I took some time to arrange the purchases in the backpack and a bag, putting them in a cabinet when I reached Kaufland and also washing my hands, albeit only with water, since there was no soap. But I didn’t enter Kaufland at that point, instead going to Mega Mall, to pick up that order from that pharmacy. I didn’t get a receipt, but that might have been my fault, since I asked whether I should take the paper that the cashier had scanned, but realized that it was for their own use and said that I didn’t need it before she could answer, which might have led her to believe that I was referring to the receipt which she might have been about to give me, especially since she then asked whether I wanted to leave and came with me when I said yes, to tell the guard to let me out, since in that location you need to scan a receipt in order to be able to leave on your own.
After a quick look in a bookstore, I went to that Carrefour, grabbing a muffin that was among the expiring products on my way to the bakery area. At that hour, the 50% discount was going to apply to those taken from the bakery area as well, but that one was in a little plastic bag and wouldn’t smear anything else, so I preferred it… Only to lose it after placing it among the bagged bread while grabbing some other bakery products, since an employee checked for discarded products as I was doing that and took it away. Still, after also getting a bag of almonds that were actually still on sale even though that sale should have ended, I once again grabbed a muffin that was among the expiring products. Maybe it wasn’t the same one, but it was still in one of those little bags, so it was what I wanted. Either way, an employee came to stand next to me while I was using the self-checkout, after I had entered the two other bakery products as one, in order to get the evening discount on my own, so when I wasn’t sure what to select for the bread and asked for her help, I also pretended to just notice that I had entered one instead of two for the other products and she corrected that and applied the discount, and then did the same for the bread, without commenting anything. Not that there was any difference between doing it that way and simply entering one instead of two.
Adding the new purchases in the cabinet after getting back to Kaufland took a little while, then I washed my hands again and it was close to 9:40 PM when I entered the store, but I still found a few products to grab from the bakery area. I also took two labels to a price checker, but those products had a regular discount those days and no additional one, so I didn’t take any of them. But I added a few beets and, since it had an evening discount, also a lettuce, and I was just looking through the non-refrigerated expiring products, which are close to the checkouts, when it was announced that the store had closed. Then, after having no problems with the self-checkout and retrieving what I had in the cabinet, I took my time to arrange everything. And I also had a quick look in that Mega Image, but didn’t find anything to get and also saw that the price of those snacks for dad had increased by exactly 30%, so I just wasted some time, also putting the bags in a cabinet and then retrieving them, though at least I entered with the backpack.
After getting back a little before 10:50 PM, I put the purchases in their place, with the exception of the bakery products, washed what I had to wash, ate some walnuts and the sweet pastry from Kaufland, and it was 12:05 AM when I went to the toilet and to shower. That wasn’t exactly comfortable, since the water temperature was dropping, but at least it made me finish faster, so I was back in the kitchen at 12:45 AM. However, I still had the lettuce to deal with, and also dealt with one of my breads, so I still ended up starting to eat dinner at 3:15 AM, finishing at 3:50 AM.

Moving on to the early hours of November 23, I once again started eating dinner at 3:15 AM, but still managed to finish at 3:40 AM. Then I got up when the alarm rang, at 1 PM, had the usual stuff, again with two of those nicer biscuits, with added honey, as the sweet thing, and left at 3:10 PM, wearing the full running gear and one of those armbands. The reported temperature was 10-11°C and it held steady. It had rained and it was overcast and humid, so it was chilly on the way to the park, but once I started running it was fine.
The time was 46:41.98, with sector times of 4:15.92, 5:04 (5:03.78), 5:50 (5:49.50), 4:22.25, 4:55.03, 5:44.12, 4:16.00, 4:50 (4:49.60), 5:35 (5:34.97) and 1:50.81, making for lap times of 15:09.20, 15:01.40 and 14:41 (14.40.57). I was just aiming to stay under 48 minutes at first, and the first sector didn’t quite seem good enough, so I pushed a little more, the first lap’s time being pretty much what I wanted. But, after being pleasantly surprised by sector two of lap two, I pushed even harder, and after the end of that lap it seemed that I was quite clearly going to stay under 47:30 and might just have a chance to even get under 47 minutes if I pushed really hard. So I did, managing great times on sectors two and three of lap three, and on the lap as a whole. In fact, the exact lap time was so close to the previous lap three time that I’m not even sure that it really was slower, the difference possibly being made by the exact moment when I pressed the button, and for sector three it was also a matter of tenths, also compared to the previous sector three of lap three. And sector two was even better, that time being the fourth fastest sector two if I just look at the seconds, albeit tied with several others, and the fifth fastest if I look at the exact time, only one of those others being faster, by a couple of tenths.
A certain pressing need appeared right from the start of lap two, if not the very end of lap one, and while it lessened on the first two sectors of lap three, it was worse when it returned, on sector three of lap three. Otherwise, the few drops that fell while I was on the first two sectors of lap two were barely noticeable, but the lane was pretty soaked, so I often avoided it, though there were moments when I stayed on it more than I’d have wanted to. As for people, there weren’t many and they didn’t cause notable problems, with the possible exception of two moments when I had to be more careful while weaving my way through.

After having lunch and some walnuts, I changed and left again when it was close to 7:20 PM, going to Obor. I first checked Auchan, getting tea and all of the snacks for dad that I found, four of one kind, none of the other being left, since Auchan hadn’t increased their price and it became the cheapest place to get them. Cabbage was also cheap, but it was quite bad, so even though I’d have wanted two, after looking through it I ended up just getting one.
Then I went to Carrefour, putting the purchases in a cabinet… And seeing that the price of the eggs sold by piece had increased sharply. I even checked at a self-checkout, since such a sharp increase was hard to believe, and since I didn’t even find any bio (organic) ones while looking through them, I decided against buying any. But I saw some expiring roes of a more expensive kind with a discount label for the cheaper kind, so I grabbed them, plus a bag of those snacks which I hadn’t found in Auchan, since they were only marginally more expensive in Carrefour and I wanted to eat the one bag of that kind that was left when I got back, so I wanted to replace it. On the other hand, no bakery discounts appeared after 9 PM.
After using the self-checkout, retrieving my things from the cabinet, putting everything back in one when I got to Kaufland and washing my hands, I entered Kaufland a little after 9:20 PM and grabbed a number of things from the bakery area, including two of those breads. I was also looking at the last remaining bun of one kind, but it had no discount label and when I asked an employee she said that it wasn’t discounted, so I obviously didn’t get it. But green onions did have an evening discount, so I grabbed a bundle, then also got some garlic and some regular onions… And then I saw that an employee had grabbed the remaining green onions and was bagging them and placing them among the spoiling products, with a 75% discount compared to the listed price, as in the one with the evening discount already applied, so I grabbed three of those and gave her the one that I already had. After that, I also grabbed a handful of scattered grapes, since those also had a good evening discount, but the store should have closed, so I didn’t try to look through all of them and get every single one that was still good. Even so, it was past 10:05 PM when I got to the self-checkout, being surprised that there had been no announcement about the store closing. And, after retrieving what I had in the cabinet and taking my time to arrange everything, it was 10:20 PM when I finally walked away.
I got back at 11:10 PM, put all of the purchases with the exception of the green onions in their place, ate a sweet pastry and those snacks, and it was past 12:10 AM when I went to the toilet and to wash. I did manage to get out just before 1 AM, but I had something else to do first, so I only actually got back to the kitchen a couple of minutes before 1:30 AM… And dad had cooked, so there was a lot to wash and clean, I also moved one of the dishes to a smaller pot and washed the large one, albeit not that well on the outside, and dealt with one of my breads as well, so it was 3:45 AM when I finally started eating dinner and 4:15 AM when I finished. I still got in bed at the usual time, but that was only because I didn’t floss and left a plate and a knife in the sink, taking care of all of that when I woke up to pee, just after 8:30 AM.

Since I already got to November 24, I’ll also add here that I went to pay the maintenance bill that evening, so dad won’t keep paying on-line, since there’s an additional fee for that. And then, despite not wearing a mask, I also went outside a little, checking the price of eggs at this nearby shop and seeing that it had increased even more, and then also having a look in Mega Image and grabbing an expiring pack of gum for dad.

In the early hours of November 28, I started eating dinner at 3:10 AM, but still managed to finish at 3:40 AM. On the other hand, the fridge started making weird noises, some loud cracking, before I went to bed, but that was probably caused by switching straight from running to defrosting, since everything seemed fine when I got up, at 1 PM, after the alarm rang. Then I had the usual stuff, again with two of those nicer biscuits, with added honey, as the sweet thing, and left at 3:25 PM. The reported temperature was 5°C, holding steady, so I wore the running gear but also an old training shirt, not the one that I used to run in, and the gloves, and also the jacket on the way, tied around my waist as I ran.
The time was 47:24, with sector times of 4:18.17, 5:09 (5:08.85), 5:57.21, 4:29 (4:28.94), 5:09.00, 5:48.44, 4:19.03, 4:55 (4:54.53), 5:35 (5:34.88) and 1:45, making for lap times of 15:24.23, 15:26.38 and 14:49 (14:48.44). I didn’t list the exact time at the end and that for the final sector because I don’t have them, since I didn’t manage to press the button. I had kept my gloves on while running and that didn’t cause me to miss pressing the interval button, so even though I thought about removing them at the end of lap three, I decided against it and that caused that problem. I even slowed a little at the end, trying to make sure that I will manage to press that button, but I somehow still failed to do so. Still, I was looking at the time, so I’m quite sure that it was 47:24 and will leave it like that, without a question mark, even though there might be a chance that it was just a little less, if my eyes took a little longer to focus properly than I thought. Either way, I was initially thinking that getting under 48 minutes would be awesome, after planting trees two days earlier, being ready to even accept just staying under 50 minutes, and the first lap seemed to make the latter scenario more likely. But I tried to encourage myself to at least stay under 49 minutes, and sector two of lap two gave me hope… And sector three of lap two made me almost certain that I’ll get under 48:30 and even give a passing thought to getting under 48 minutes after all. That seemed very unlikely, but I pushed from the start of lap three, sector one seemed to just give me a small chance, and that chance suddenly grew a lot after sector two. But I kept pushing hard and, after a third great, and almost identical, sector three of lap three in a row, I realized that I might even squeeze under 47:30, which I managed to do quite safely.
About halfway through the run, I found myself thinking that I should have just been wearing the t-shirt at that point. But it’d have been too cold to do so on the first lap, and the cold was also making it somewhat hard to breathe, the problem mostly being notable on sector three of lap three and on the final sector, when I was pushing so hard. And it was also windy at times, though the forecast had stated that it was going to get worse as time passed and it actually seemed to lessen to some extent, which was quite a relief. Otherwise, there were few people and they didn’t cause notable problems, but I did have some physical ones, unsurprisingly. The slight pressing need that appeared from sector three of lap two wasn’t related to planting trees, and it wasn’t notable anyway, and the same probably goes for the pain that I felt in my abdomen early on, which got better after a while anyway. But there was some pain in my back as well, also from the start, and while that also got better in time, it never actually went away. And the pain that I felt in my right leg on the way to the park was quite clearly caused by the effort made two days earlier, though that actually went away soon after I started running, which was a nice surprise.

I’m quite pleased to have managed to write about the three runs that I wanted to cover in this post before midnight, so just the remaining odds and ends from November 28, plus a few more things that I also decided to add here, in order to finish with November, were left to add when I edited this post, in the early hours of Tuesday, before going to bed. Of course, I still have odds and ends going back to September 9 that I’m yet to put in a post, and I wonder if I ever will… Not to mention the hospitalization from September of 2021, but I quite clearly will not write about that.

To return to November 28, after getting back I had a banana and lunch, did a load of laundry, just changed my pants and eventually went out again, at 8:05 PM, wearing the nicer jacket for the first time during this colder season. I first went to Park Lake, putting the money spent two days earlier from the card back into the account, withdrawing the difference and then depositing 100 RON, and then entering Carrefour and getting a few things, including two of those bags of bagels that were indeed two for the price of one even though there was no sign stating that in the store, so I mentioned it to the cashier and she checked first, showing me that the discount did apply.
After also checking Penny, putting my things in a cabinet, grabbing some hummus after checking the ingredients and not seeing anything that I’d want to avoid, retrieving my things, putting them once again in a cabinet when I reached Kaufland, and peeing and washing my hands, I entered Kaufland a couple of minutes before 9:30 PM. The bakery area was quite empty, however, and all the products that had good evening discounts listed were gone, plus that the price of some buns had increased so much that they had become too expensive even at half price, but I could grab a couple of things, and then I also got some more food for Liza, since it was on sale and dad’s stuffing her. Since it also had an evening discount, I initially also grabbed the last remaining bundle of green onions, even though it looked bad, but then I saw an evening discount for carrots as well and grabbed all of the better ones, plus a parsnip for dad, since that was also discounted, and at that point I decided to put that bundle of green onions back. Then I made my way to the self-checkout… And saw that the discount for bakery products was actually 75%, even though both the labels and the announcements which had been made were for 50%. If I’d have known, I’d have gotten some more things, maybe for my mother as well, but as it was, I finished using the machine a couple of minutes before closing time and rushed to retrieve my things from the cabinet and leave before they closed the main doors, only taking a little time to arrange the purchases in the bags after I got outside, using one of those tables, and walking away at 10:05 PM.
I got back a little after 10:40 PM, ate a bag of snacks and some more of the pancakes bought after planting trees, put all of the purchases with the exception of the carrots and the parsnip in their place, cleaned a part of what was in the kitchen, and finally went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and shower, just after 12:25 AM. It was past 1:10 AM when I was done, and then I finished putting the purchases in their place, washed what was in the kitchen, sliced the remaining two breads for dad, also moved and mixed something even though I didn’t really need to do so, and only started to work on the salad at 2:40 AM, so I ended up starting to eat dinner at 3:55 AM and finishing at 4:35 AM. I got in bed at 5:30 AM.

The following night I started eating dinner at 3:20 AM and finished a couple of minutes before 4 AM. And the night after that I cleaned up after dad fried fish and made mamaliga, which resulted in starting to eat dinner at 3:25 AM and finishing at 4 AM, though it was past 5 AM when I moved and licked something greasy and unhealthy in order to finish cleaning and putting away what dad had left, and I got in bed at 5:30 AM… And when I woke up to pee, I wanted to quickly check that everything was fine on the computer, since I had turned the monitor off in a hurry before going to bed, and when I noticed something that made me curious, I meant to have a look in the registry… Only to somehow make the system reboot. I wasn’t looking at the monitor while bringing up the Start menu and typing regedit, and when I did look I saw that the Start menu was no longer up, and when I opened it again, I saw “egedit” in that text box, so I must have been holding some other key down when I typed the R, but I’m not sure what that was, since there doesn’t seem to be a direct shortcut for rebooting the system that includes the R key. Either way, I then had to wait for the system to restart and then check that it had done so properly and there were no problems.