Cav's Place

We are now on day 51 of a war that Ukraine was at first widely expected to lose within a week or so and they didn’t merely manage to prevent Russia from capturing Kyiv and installing its own puppet government, but actually forced Russian troops to withdraw from that entire region, instead concentrating on the east and south, and even seem to have scored a truly notable victory, having likely sunk the Russian flagship. Admittedly, this comes over a month after they scuttled their own, to prevent it from being captured, and Russia maintains a nearly unchallenged naval domination and blockade despite the loss. And, overall, Russia has more than enough forces to renew its northern offensive if the opportunity will present itself, which keeps Ukraine from redeploying its own forces to aid in the defense of the areas that are currently facing even harsher attacks, and the general recently appointed to lead the war effort is likely to fix many of the blunders which have so far prevented Russians from making proper use of what, at least on paper, was their immense advantage from pretty much every point of view.
Russia’s chances of obtaining something that the regime can present as a victory now seem to focus on Mariupol, a city that they have obliterated but so far failed to completely conquer. The military situation looked grim a few days ago, and ever more so as time passed, but now even there there may be some faint signs of hope. Without a relief effort breaking through the siege, it remains a matter of time, and such a relief seems unlikely at the moment, but every day gained provides an opportunity, not so much for Ukraine as for the “civilized world” to finally grow some balls and truly step in.

The fact of the matter is that, regardless of the skill and heroism of the Ukrainian defenders, and of a president who so unexpectedly rose to the occasion in a manner that few, if any, current world leaders seem likely to have been able to match, Russia has the power, and the regime certainly has the determination, to prolong the war as long as necessary to achieve their goals, betting on the fact that the Western support for Ukraine will wane in time, which is unfortunately likely to happen… Not that said support is, or was at any point, anywhere near the necessary level anyway, the West and its allies always being both too cowardly and too selfish, or more exactly too shortsighted, to act in the manner that the current events would truly call for.
Accepting Ukraine, along with Georgia and Moldova, into NATO should have been a given for many years now. Since that didn’t happen, the next best thing would have been to deploy troops inside Ukraine, in defensive positions, before the start of the invasion, under the same guise of “exercises” used by Russia in order to mass its forces at the border. And when that also didn’t happen and the invasion did begin, Ukraine should have received direct military aid, in the form of pretty much any kind of equipment they required, from all sorts of weapons and ammunition to ships and tanks and aircraft, while at the same time any and all who desired to go there and join the fight should have been at least allowed, and preferably encouraged, to do so. Also, if closing the skies above Ukraine keeps being rejected because it’d require NATO aircraft shooting down Russian ones, at the very least the seas should be closed, with a blockade at the edge of the parts of the Azov and Black Seas that are internationally recognized Russian waters. As for non-military matters, all Russian diplomats and staff should have been expelled as soon as the invasion began and, more importantly, it should have again been a given to completely ban any and all trade with Russia, starting with fossil fuels, that very same instant, and this should have been used to spur a greatly hastened complete switch to renewable energy, as well as improved energy efficiency and savings.
Did any of that happen? Of course not. Are the last few points listed above being implemented in full even now? Again, of course not. Are they likely to be, at least in a foreseeable future? Yet again, the answer is no, for the reasons already stated. Instead, on top of the cowardice that leads to military inaction, which Zelenskyy is rightfully fed up with it, the EU pays about as much per day for Russian fossil fuels as the total amount pledged to Ukraine as military aid, and even the thought of reducing reliance on Russian fossil fuels may well slow rather than hasten the necessary overhaul of the energy sector. But, of course, that Babylon 5 quote that I keep returning to remains as true as ever, with little to no difference between those in positions of authority and the masses: “That does seem to be the rule, doesn’t it? Analyze the problem, choose whichever strategy makes least sense and then do it.”

On the morning of April 2, I got in bed at 4:15 AM and probably slept just over half an hour before waking up at 5:25 AM and getting up, the alarm being set to ring at 5:30 AM. Admittedly, that was after getting some eight and a half hours of sleep the previous morning and I’d say just about two more in the evening, put together, but that was because I was feeling sleepy and rather out of it, maybe after sleeping little and going out the day before that, which didn’t bode well for what was to come, or maybe also something having to do with my stomach, maybe what I cooked wasn’t that good, because I felt like I should be crapping but couldn’t, which was another reason for concern. I hadn’t shaved either, but I didn’t care about that and in fact I haven’t shaved since then either, only planning to do so tonight, which makes me wonder whether it may be a new record.
Back to that morning, I actually did the day’s squats after getting up, then tried to coerce Micky into eating a little more and had an apple, yogurt with cereals and almonds, and a slice of cozonac, with added jam, so what I’d otherwise normally have before a run, with the exception of the tea. Then I finished getting ready, did a partial backup, cleaned the litter box, brushed my teeth, added the hoodie before putting on the jacket, since otherwise I was going in the clothes I had been wearing inside and hadn’t changed to pajamas when going to bed, and left when it was close to 6:55 AM.
After coming back the week before, I had the impression that there was a hole in the bottom of my old shoes, apparently caused just by pushing on the shovel, and that was proven correct then, since it had been raining and some drops were still falling, so it was wet and I felt the moisture getting in through that spot right away. But there was nothing to do about it then, and I thought I was already running late, the e-mail having included the same instructions as two weeks earlier, to be at Opera Square at 7:30 AM, so I ran again and was at Dristor a little after 7:05 AM.
That proved to be a waste of energy, however, since I was at Opera Square a little after 7:20 AM… And didn’t see anybody else there, nor any buses on that side of the parking lot. One was just leaving from the other side, however, so I thought that they might be leaving early for some reason and meant to run across the road to get to it, but was relieved to see it return to the parking lot, stopping in the spot it should have been in, what remained confusing and concerning being that I still couldn’t see anyone else when I got there and looked around. But a moment later someone came to greet me and ask if I was there to volunteer to plant trees, and also whether I had been the one who had called a little earlier to ask why nobody else was there. So I said I hadn’t called, but we had been told to be there at 7:30 AM and when I had arrived at 7:20 AM two weeks earlier I had found most others already there and we had left at 7:45 AM, to which she said she had been instructed to leave at 8 AM, 8:05 AM at the latest, but people had been told to start arriving at 7:30 AM and, as usual, many will be late.
To me, it seemed clear that we had been told to be there by 7:30 AM, not to start arriving then, but when, after waiting outside for a while, until a few others also arrived, I eventually got on the bus and didn’t find myself on the list, I started wondering whether I had received the wrong e-mail, the coordinator saying that there were two buses, the other being on the other side of that park, not in the same place. But she added me to that list, and while the 47 names that were on it would have only left that one free seat, or two if hers was also among the 47, and some five more ended up being added to the list by the time we left, right at 8 AM, about a third of the seats were empty at that point, and I think I saw 29 names on the list she made. I think there could have been some more, but only one of them from the original list, since one guy came to say that he had brought five or six others and ask whether enough seats were left or they should go by car, and after the coordinator told him to wait and see I think they decided to just go by car. And at least, while we each had forms to fill and sign on the way, we didn’t have to pass that list around, so I didn’t have to wait after others and risk to not even receive it before getting there, as it had happened a week earlier.
Either way, we were dropped off just before 9 AM, at the entrance of the dirt road leading to the site, the bus driver saying he couldn’t use it, though those who drove there on their own were doing so, which meant that we had to keep standing aside to make room for them as we walked. And it was a bit of a walk, seeing as we only got there at 9:15 AM. And now, just writing this from memory, only having some times and the pictures I took, without notes written when this was fresher in my mind, I can’t quite remember the order of things, but logic would dictate that I first went to pee and wash my hands, and I seem to remember rushing to do so and then leaving the toilet quickly and retying my pants on the side of the road before having the apron, which I then put on after putting some things in my backpack, while waiting for the tea to cool a little. So, I guess after peeing and washing my hands, inasmuch as I could at that portable thing, I went to get a cup of tea and, though those who had been ahead of me hadn’t asked for any and I therefore couldn’t initially get myself to do so either, the person who was after me asked whether the sandwiches were for lunch, and when she was told that they were for breakfast and asked for one, I did so as well, quickly eating it, since it again was a small one, just in a bun. After asking whether those who had been on the bus still needed to do so, I also signed the list, then took one of the bottles that were handed out, since they looked different from those I already had, a bottle of water, an apron and gloves, deciding to use the ones that were handed out after all, since I had those latex ones to wear underneath them, even though I had also taken those received a week earlier, which I hadn’t returned then.
I believe I was just putting on the gloves when first the employees of the participating companies and then the Scouts were asked to gather for pictures, and since I stepped back from that area at that point, I ended up next to the crates of sandwiches and saw a few other volunteers, and also the bus driver, just grabbing some, without asking, and the sandwiches were behind the two who were manning that part of the tent and they were busy with the tea and coffee anyway, so after hovering around for a while I worked up the courage to just grab one more, quickly eating it as the brief speech started, just after 10 AM. Then we were also given the usual instructions and before 10:15 AM, or maybe even closer to 10:10 AM, we could start planting… The problem being that there were many plots and some of the colors were similar, so I ended up among those walking back and forth and trying to compare the color of their bracelet to that of the signs. Considering the flags with the names of those companies that were on the plots that were behind the tent, it seemed quite clear to me that, since I wasn’t an employee, I shouldn’t go there, which left the first plot from the other area, so again the one starting right behind the speakers, as the only one with a color that seemed to match my bracelet, but the similar colors made me walk to the end of the area and back, to check all the signs, and still hesitate when I got back there and only saw two people. One of them looked at my bracelet and confirmed that I was in the right place, however, and she was also trying to call the others who had been assigned to that color, even picking up the sign and waving it while shouting that color’s name, which by now I actually forgot, and I remember that at that time I muttered that I didn’t even know what that was, which prompted her to also mutter something about men and colors.
Deciding that her word was good enough, I then got to work, again ignoring the fact that we had been told to work in pairs. But, even though it had rained there as well, so the ground itself was soft, there was grass and there were roots, so it wasn’t easy to dig and I immediately realized that a realistic goal for the day was just 15 trees, which at least allowed me to have an average of 20, after the 25 planted a week before. It did seem that it was worse right there at the bottom, where we had been told to start, so after struggling to plant one tree at the start of a row, I picked another and started a few steps higher, hoping I’ll get a little more used to it while going down from there. And I think I started four spots from the bottom of that row, meaning to have five trees planted before moving on to another spot, but just after I did move and started to struggle to dig in another spot which had been left by others right at the bottom, some guy came and asked whether I wanted help, and even though I muttered that I didn’t, he just dug that hole in a few seconds, asked whether the sapling I had placed there was the one I wanted to plant and also planted it, which left me awkwardly mumbling that in that case there’s nothing for me to do and walking away, somewhat angry, somewhat embarrassed, but mainly shocked and scared, that unplanned interaction causing my brain to pretty much unplug… Which also meant that I completely forgot how many trees I had actually planted, so after taking a little time to try to recover to some extent, I kept trying to remember, or to see whether I could accurately identify the trees I had planted and count them, but everything related to that which had happened before that guy stepped in seemed to have just been erased from my mind.
Still, I did remember planning to have five before moving, so I eventually gave up on trying to remember and assumed that I had respected that plan, taking five more saplings and going a little higher. I still had problems with some of the holes, however, and eventually had to go back to look for a sapling with a smaller root in order to have a fifth, the one I had left being too large for the fifth hole I was able to dig in that second series. And I can’t quite recall whether I then planted that larger one while staying around that same area or I took it with me when I moved higher, but the 12th and 13th, assuming I had five before that guy stepped in, were definitely planted after I walked to the top of the hill, where it was easier to dig… But hard to even stand, the wind being a far bigger problem than the slippery ground and the slope. In fact, I had to lean quite heavily on the shovel while making my way up, the wind threatening to knock me down several times, and I also almost fell multiple times while digging, when I had a leg in the air or on the shovel.
I couldn’t exactly take it easy, however, having heard before starting to make my way up that the organizers were preparing for lunch. Or, I could have taken it easy if I’d have stopped after 12 trees, as I initially had in mind, but it was indeed easier to dig up there, assuming I managed to stay on my feet, and I also didn’t want to risk to be left with only those 12, in case we won’t get back to work after lunch, plus that just going right back down struck me as a waste of the effort made to climb there. So I first also planted that 13th tree and then decided to hurry and get to 15 before stopping for lunch. And I was digging those last two holes at 12:35 PM, when someone came up to shout that lunch was being served. I have no idea when the call actually came, the sound system not being powerful enough to carry over that distance and beat the howl of the wind, but that had clearly happened even earlier, so I just rushed to finish those holes, then looked around for a pile of saplings and asked those who were around them whether I could take two, picking a larger one and a smaller one… And finding that both of the holes were too small, or more exactly that the larger hole would have been enough for the smaller sapling, so I had to enlarge both before finally planting those last two trees, finishing just before 12:45 PM.
After taking a few more pictures, I made my way down, peed and washed my hands again, then took another tea and lunch… And again had to search for a free spot at a table, most others already eating by then. But after a moment I spotted two kids getting up and leaving, so I asked the man who had been sitting across from them whether I could sit there and he gestured that I could, so I could start eating. The wind remained a problem, however, so I had to find ways to keep everything from being blown away… And then someone asked whether we were done. Since it sounded like a kid, I just muttered that I had only started some five minutes earlier and didn’t pay that much attention at first, and after the leader of the organizers took the microphone to explain that the question had been for the Scouts I initially wanted to dismiss the moment entirely. When those calls were soon repeated, however, the Scouts being told to clean up and gather in three minutes, and others also started getting up and leaving, I realized that I also had to hurry, again ending up eating with my hands and first failing to stop a napkin from flying away and then even having my fork blown off the tray and onto the table, so even though I had managed to prevent it from breaking again, I no longer wanted to use it from then on, making do with my hands and the knife. And it wasn’t even 1:20 PM when those of us who had been on the bus which had left from Opera Square were also called to get ready to leave, so I had to give up on my plan to also help clean up the area a little, rushing to finish eating and then just picking up a couple of things which had been blown off tables and throwing them away along with what I had used.
So, even though I had been told, when I had asked in the morning, that the plan was indeed to work until around 3 PM, assuming we won’t finish sooner, and we were clearly far from finishing, it was a good thing that I had decided to get to 15 trees planted before lunch, since I wasn’t able to continue after that at all. But what made it worse was that, just as I was about to hesitantly start walking to the bus, there was another call, asking us to gather at the tent, yet after I turned around, got there and made eye contact with the coordinator for our bus, she told me to try to gather any others I knew and then walked away, leaving me quite confused, since it seemed that people were clearing away instead of gathering. I’m not sure whether I had already left the gloves and apron and taken another bottle of water before first trying to leave or I only did that then, but what’s clear is that I ended up standing uncertainly around for a few minutes, until it really seemed that I was going to be left alone, so I went to the leader of the coordinators, after spotting her behind the tent, and asked what should those from the Opera Square bus do… And was told that they had already left and to run after them, though she then added that they won’t leave without me and will call her colleague to make sure they’ll wait, probably after seeing the expression on my face… Or at least in my eyes, since I was probably the only one who had kept the mask on, obviously except while eating and drinking, the few others who had worn one on the bus having taken it off when they got there and, at least from what I saw, not even putting it back on when we got back on the bus, and I don’t recall seeing anyone else working with one on.
I did check the time, seeing that it was 1:30 PM at that point, but after that I actually started to jog after the others, until I spotted the coordinator answering her phone somewhere ahead and took it easier, and after I started catching others I even briefly stopped a few times, to try to wipe some of the mud off my shoes and to arrange some things I had just quickly stuffed in my pockets. And when I finally did catch up to the coordinator, she asked whether I had been left behind and reminded me that the Scouts managed to get ready in three minutes, but I also reminded her that she had called us to gather at the tent and then just walked away, and she said that most had already left by then, but there was no risk of leaving anyone behind, her colleagues staying for another half an hour or so, to clean up, and having some free seats in their cars in case of need. And then, when I also reminded her that she had said that we’ll likely work until 3 PM, she asked whether I still had energy for that and said that I could go back if I really wanted to work a little more, until her colleagues will be ready to leave. I’m not sure whether she was serious, but we were almost at the bus by then, and getting there and back would have taken just about half an hour anyway, and in fact it was 1:45 PM when I got on the bus, so exactly 15 minutes after leaving. And the guy who had sat next to me on the way there asked whether I wanted the same seat and got up to let me through, but then instead of sitting back down moved to the seat that was behind the one he had sat on, which made me feel a little awkward, until he said that the person who had sat there won’t get back on that bus. Either way, the bus left at 1:50 PM and dropped us off back at Opera Square at 2:55 PM.

That day I definitely wanted to go to Hornbach and buy that plant, but since I had to switch at Unirii anyway, I got off there and first checked that Carrefour, finding a pack of expiring pancakes and buying it… And when I walked out, at 3:35 PM, it was drizzling. And it continued to drizzle a little after I got back out of the metro, but it was also sunny, so it wasn’t much of a problem as I walked first to that mall from that area and then to Hornbach. And I also managed to get there without getting confused on the way, at least until I actually got to that mall and didn’t know where the entrance was, ending up making a little unnecessary detour. Then I first had a quick look in another store, since dad had told me to look for cheap jeans for him, then peed and washed my hands, and then went to that Carrefour as well, after meaning to put my backpack in the first cabinets I saw only for the guard to ask where I was going and point me in the other direction, to those that were near the information desk. But at least I could use one of those, and after exploring that Carrefour I bought two expiring plain focaccias, which I just managed to stuff in the backpack, along with the pancakes, after retrieving it from the cabinet. Then I finally got to Hornbach and managed to identify the plant I was looking for as soon as I reached the area where the indoor plants were, but the first ones were the larger and much more expensive ones, so I searched a little longer before finding the smaller and cheaper ones, then checked all of them and selected one… Only noticing after purchasing it that quite a few of the leaves looked a little eaten through or burned or had dark areas. But what was done was done, so I took some time to figure out how to place the pot in the sturdier bag I had in order to carry it better and then walked away.
It was 5:50 PM at that point, and it wasn’t raining anymore… But I somehow did get a little confused as I was about to leave that area, wanting to use the sidewalk instead of passing in front of that mall again and finding that it was closed, some work being carried out there, so I again ended up making a little detour, albeit smaller than that first one. And then I hesitated for just a moment after getting back to the metro station, seeing a farmers’ market and briefly considering having a look before deciding against it, and that moment meant that I just missed the metro, being on the stairs as the doors closed… And then the same thing happened when I switched again at Unirii! For some reason I didn’t look to see when the next metro was going to come and had a delayed reaction to noticing a couple of other guys running past me, and the fact that I had that plant also meant that I didn’t really want to run, so I hurried as much as I could but the effort was wasted, since I again saw the doors closing as I was going down the stairs.
Either way, after finally reaching Dristor, I decided to first check the price of red cabbage at that Supeco, so I made that detour, put my backpack in one of those cabinets that don’t lock, just walking in with the plant, which obviously wouldn’t fit… Only to find that there was no price label for the red cabbage, so after searching for it for a while I went to the cashier and asked, which made the guard walk up behind me and ask her what I wanted, and when she told her she asked me why hadn’t I asked her. But she had been on the phone until then, and when I said that out loud she quickly tried to make excuses, probably for anyone who might be listening, and I just had another look at the cabbage, then told her that I might return if I won’t find something better, then retrieved my backpack and made my way to the Carrefour from the park. The thing was that fresh vegetables were among the products that customers received those vouchers with 20% of the value for that weekend, and I had seen red cabbage, listed as being from Romania, for slightly less in that location, and in other locations it was also listed as being imported, but most of the time I had actually only seen the label, no red cabbage actually being available, the reason for that detour to Supeco being that I was worried that the same thing was going to happen then as well. But fortunately that wasn’t the case, and after managing to stuff everything, including the plant, in one of the largest cabinets, I did find two red cabbages to buy, and also grabbed some slightly nicer corn puffs. Also sent dad a beep while I was there, and when he called I asked whether he wanted some expiring sausages I had seen, but he didn’t.
Then I retrieved my things from the cabinet and made my way to the newer Kaufland. I meant to get some things from that Penny first, but with no way to stuff the plant in one of their cabinets, I first went to Kaufland in order to leave my things there… Only to find that the only three remaining large cabinets were occupied, so I had to somehow, carefully, stuff the plant, along with everything else, in one of the regular ones, which at least were just large enough to allow me to do so without bending it in a truly dangerous manner. Then I rushed back to Penny and got what I wanted and also a chocolate bar from that Ukrainian band, and when I got back to Kaufland I saw that one of the large cabinets was empty, so I moved my things there, then peed and washed my hands again, and then went in and got a number of things, some of them on evening discounts. I somehow ended up miscalculating the total, however, realizing at the self-checkout that it was actually higher than what I had left, so I had to call an employee and ask her to remove one of the jars of zacusca I had initially meant to purchase for dad, which was rather embarrassing. But at least there were no other problems and I could then retrieve my things from the cabinet and then spend quite some time arranging everything in the bags and backpack, again ending up walking away a little after the store had closed, though I had checked out a few minutes before 10 PM.
I finally got back here at 10:50 PM, after talking to dad for a couple of minutes, being surprised to see him just about to walk out of the building when I reached the entrance, his ride apparently being very late. Then I put things away, ate one of those bags of somewhat nicer corn puffs and drank the second of those bottles of Pepsi Max bought two weeks earlier while spending some time on-line, had three of those pancakes, with jam, did a few more things, and finally went to shower at 12:30 AM. It was past 1:20 AM when I got back in the kitchen and still had to wash what dad had left and a few more things to sort out, including snapping off what leaves I thought had problems on that plant and taking it to my room, after realizing with some alarm that I had left it on the kitchen floor, where the cats could easily get to it, despite having read that it was poisonous. So, while I also ate a banana then, I only finally started eating dinner at 3:45 AM, later than I now mean to finish, and only finished at 4:35 AM…

It’s entirely understandable to no longer want to put all this effort into maintaining something intended to bring together and reward active members of a community that those in charge of the site it’s built around, or even of its parent corporation, seem set on destroying, on the forums that those same people seem set on killing, the result of this being that the currently active community is becoming more and more just a bubble of sycophants, with ever more of the, shall we say, more discerning members leaving or being more or less explicitly driven away or silenced. If anything, considering the increasingly heavy-handed moderation and seeing the recent statement about the staff’s view when it comes to external links and the resulting closure of several other long-running threads, it was perhaps left a little late.
Still, that makes it no less sad to see the end of the fourth incarnation of The GOG.com Community Giveaway. There are talks about a fifth incarnation, with Doc0075, who donates such a large part of the games and also makes his own huge and interesting giveaways, stating that he intends to launch a continuation, but past experience makes me think that he won’t have the time to manage it the way The Community Giveaway should be managed, and perhaps even more so that his desire to create positive interactions will result in a leniency that will rather negate the activity requirements that define The Community Giveaway and also bring changes that will actually push things in that same direction desired by the staff and alienate those rightfully calling out GOG.com for all the rotten moves they’ve made and continue to make.
Then again, under such circumstances, I couldn’t in all honesty say that I’d truly still want something like this to continue on the GOG.com forums at all… But it would have been nice if it’d have been moved to the alternate forum… Though I’m not sure that such a thing would have been desirable for those who are still active there, since I was made aware that it’s not open to everyone, the remaining active members being careful about who else might be allowed to join, so I won’t even link to it now.
The thing is that finkleroy is not pulling completely away, as the hosts of the previous incarnations did, but instead actually moving the giveaway elsewhere… The first problem being that he’s turning it all into a single giveaway, regardless of the store the games are on, not even separating between DRM-free and the rest, and the second is that he’s moving it to Discord, where dozens of those who are eligible for and active in the current GOG.com Community Giveaway, myself included, stated that they won’t be active. It is, of course, entirely his call to make, seeing as he won’t be taking any of the remaining donated keys, but creating something new, for the new community he intends to form there, but my first problem with the idea is that it’s a chat service and I have absolutely no intention of ever being active on something like that again, and others are bothered by the fact that, at least in many cases, making an account requires a phone number.
Either way, what the future will hold remains to be seen, and this is such an inconsequential matter compared to what’s going on in the world these days, or even compared to all the problems and rottenness of content distribution and rights, or even to that part that refers strictly to gaming. It’s only a minor matter even when compared to what’s been going on with GOG.com for so many years now, as I already mentioned. But maybe that’s just why I dared to write this quick comment about it here now, instead of, for example, the brief and entirely inadequate comment about the inappropriate and actually counterproductive and, in the longer run, harmful measures taken in order to supposedly mitigate the rising prices that I otherwise had in mind.

The previous day I stayed in bed until 3 PM but woke up countless times, so any sleep I got after the first few hours was made up of a string of short naps. Then, in the evening, I only got another half an hour or so, if that, but at least got just about ready and also went to the toilet. So, on the morning of March 26, I could actually get in bed by 4:20 AM and get up when the alarm rang, at 6:30 AM. Then I had an apple, a sweet pastry, and yogurt with cereals and almonds, finished getting ready, cleaned the litter box, brushed my teeth, put on the hoodie, since otherwise I was again going in the clothes I was wearing inside and hadn’t changed into pajamas when I went to bed, just so I won’t need to change again, and left when it was close to 7:55 AM.
With the meeting place being Victory Square, I had to go to the nearer metro station, getting there at 8 AM, after jogging again… And needing to wait for eight minutes for the next metro, after one just left as I entered the station. So that effort was wasted, but what made it slightly less frustrating was that I had reached the street just when the light turned green, so being just a little faster wouldn’t have helped. But we had been told to be at the meeting place by 8:25 AM and I was there at 8:20 AM, so it was fine… And that guy who ran after the bus a week earlier was on the same metro, and as we were gathered in front of the no less than six buses I told him it seemed he didn’t have to run again that day and he said he had only arrived a minute or so earlier, but went to the park, to pee, thinking he had time and not feeling comfortable getting on the bus without doing that first, then saw the buses leaving when he was across the road and had to run to catch one.
After leaving at 8:50 AM, it was a little after 9:45 AM when we got there and it seemed like we were rather late. We had been told that our group was in the second series, and many others had arrived in other ways, the organizers talking of over 1000 participants and six buses meaning just under 300 people even if they’d have been full, which wasn’t the case, about a third of the seats in the one I was in, including the one next to me, being empty for example, but seeing so many people already gathered gave a sense of urgency to filling and signing the papers I still had to sign after stepping off the bus, since they hadn’t reached me during the trip. And that feeling was proven correct, the speeches already starting by the time I could start picking up my kit, and adding the fact that I was rushing to being confused about how it should work in the first place meant that I don’t even know whether some sort of breakfast was available, and I also missed getting another hat. Gloves were on the first table and I was given a pair, in a closed bag, so I know that they were new, but after the way my hands ended up looking made me worry about having possibly caught some fungus or some other similar problem from the gloves used the week before, I had taken a pair of latex gloves as well and put those on first, before the gardening ones, and that actually protected my hands a fair bit better in general. But, returning to those first moments, the only other thing I wanted was another hat, yet after deciding to skip the other tables I saw, already having the items that were given there and not needing any more, I somehow completely missed that last one, where it seems that the hats were offered, in my rush to join the others when the group picture was announced.
The area I was assigned to was the last one that time around, so it took a while to walk there… And if at first I was trying to catch up to others, as those peeled off to their own assigned areas I eventually found myself alone and therefore the first to reach it. So I waited a little for everyone else to gather, then we were given the usual instructions and it was a little after 10:10 AM when we actually started working. We were told to work in pairs, but I didn’t even try to look for a potential teammate before picking a row and trying to see how the ground was, and after seeing that I could dig quite well I just kept working and nobody asked to join me either.
At first I meant to take a break after ten trees, but got to that point rather early and one of the students helping the organizers plan and manage the operation was there around that time as well, talking to one of the guys working next to me, and he seemed to know his field, of forestry and agriculture, well enough to offer some interesting information, so I also asked a couple of questions and that was another reason to not want to leave just then, so I set 15 trees as the new target and ended up taking my break at 11:55 AM, after planting that many.
After peeing, I went to take a tea and also grabbed two packs of biscuits, drinking the tea and then using the drinking fountain that was in that area to wash my hands better before eating one of the packs of biscuits. I also spotted the hats at that point, and went to that table to ask whether those were also supposed to be in the kit and say that I hadn’t gotten one, but those who were there pointed out that I had it on my head, and when I said that the one I had was from three years ago, or actually two and a half, they said those were the same and were clearly reluctant to give me one of the few that were left, probably still thinking that I had already taken one despite my explanation, so I gave up on the idea and walked away. Then, after hovering around the area a little longer, probably needing to recover a little after that interaction, I also had lunch, since it was already being served at that point, at first trying to use the wooden knife and fork for the meat but eventually needing to resort to my hands because the fork was breaking. Another problem was the wind, but I managed to keep everything from flying away… Unlike the woman who sat in front of me after a while, whose entire tray, with most of the food still on it, was blown away. Then I also ate the second pack of biscuits, and ended up having a second “tea” that I had to make with cold water, since they were out of hot water… And also of biscuits, those seeming to be the only thing that actually ran out, since more water was heated later, and crates upon crates of food were also left even at the end.
Back to that point, after lunch I was trying to work up the courage to ask someone about the schedule. Actually, after seeing Petruta stay in one place, I meant to ask her, but couldn’t get myself to do that, so I ended up hovering around again until another participant asked someone else and was told that we’ll stop at 2 PM at the latest. At that point I just asked in the general direction of the organizers who were gathered there whether I had heard correctly, 2 PM, and was told that I had, and the reason for leaving earlier was that we had been fast and should be done by then.
So I rushed back, finally getting back to work at 1:15 PM. At first I planted five more trees, to at least get to 20 again, but then I decided to keep going, trying to get to 25. I probably wouldn’t have managed that if I’d have continued on the row that the guy who saw me looking for other spots where I could plant pointed me to, saying that I could try that if I wanted a challenge, the ground being harder to dig, but after planting two there, I moved again, looking for spots where it’d be easier and rushing, since people were leaving, and I did manage to get to 25 and consider that I was done at 2:15 PM.
After peeing again, I wandered around, got and drank another tea, hot water being available again… And thought about asking for another serving of food, or whatever the person who was there would give me, to take with me, after seeing how much was left and that some were asking for and receiving at least buns, though a few were bold enough to actually get another entire serving to take home. But, of course, I ended up just hovering around for a while, not daring to ask, and eventually giving up, taking a few last pictures and slowly making my way to the buses… And finding that a seventh had appeared, though I’m not sure whether it also had to do with our group or not, especially since people seemed to be getting on it sooner, while those our group had arrived on remained empty for a while longer, those of us who were there standing around uncertainly until the first few finally climbed on and I followed. It was past 2:40 PM at that point, yet many were missing, having probably gone to check out the stalls from that park, so I hope that everyone made it back to a bus eventually, albeit probably not the same one they had arrived on. I mean, I doubt the buses would have left if that wouldn’t have been confirmed, but I got on the same bus and kept the same seat, and after counting 16 empty seats on the way there, I counted 20 on the way back, so while my count might have been off by one or two, I’m sure that there were at least a couple more empty seats on that bus. Either way, the first bus left just before 3 PM, the one I was in just before 3:05 PM, and we were dropped off back at Victory Square at 4 PM.

And this is how far I got before going to bed in the morning, the last paragraph above being added at night, after the part I managed to write and post before midnight stopped before it, and was a rushed job in order to even get that far. I only finished writing the rest Tuesday afternoon, so that was when I edited this post again in order to add what’s below.

Next, I got back on the metro and went to Obor, but only checked that Carrefour and didn’t buy anything, since I was mainly looking for cheap eggs again and didn’t find any, nor any interesting expiring products. If I would have found eggs, the plan was to then go to another part of the city and buy a plant, but while there is a Carrefour there as well, I decided leave that for the following week and stick to what I knew, going to Unirii next, and first stopping at that Mega Image and getting some more of that zacusca for dad. I didn’t take the time to dig out a bag inside the store, however, walking out with the three jars held in my hands and putting them down on the first step of the stairs. But I had been holding them rather awkwardly and therefore also didn’t set them down properly, so one rolled off that step and the lid popped, as if air had entered. That obviously made me worry that it had cracked, but I couldn’t spot any cracks, neither then nor later, and neither did dad. Either way, I then also went to that Carrefour, didn’t bother to put anything in a cabinet… And found not only a carton of ten expiring code one eggs, without any cracks, discounted by 75%, but also, at the bottom of the pile of spoiling fruits and vegetables, one of those bags of three kilograms of oranges that I had meant to buy anyway. Though it wasn’t torn, it weighed a little under 2.8 kg, but none of the oranges were moldy or squashed and most actually looked just fine, and it was discounted by 50%, so I also took that, as well as one of those breads, finally finding it unsliced again. Then, after spending quite some time arranging everything in bags, I got back to the metro.
After getting off at Dristor, I decided to go to that Kaufland first, since if I’d have first gone to Carrefour I’d have then wanted to wait for 9 PM in Kaufland, to see the evening discounts, and it’d have gotten too late. So I put my things in a cabinet, peed and washed my hands, then saw a discount for garlic, but decided to first have a look around, grabbed an expiring yogurt, and when I got back there three older women were digging through that crate, so I had to wait my turn. Then I also got a small cabbage, had no problems with the self-checkout, retrieved my things from the cabinet, put everything in one again after reaching the Carrefour from the park, only bought a small yogurt from there, since for some reason that kind is 0.90 RON in that location while in the others it’s 1.65 RON and I was curious about it, then I retrieved everything from the cabinet and finally made my way back here.
It was almost 8:45 PM when I got back, meaning that it was during Earth Hour and I therefore didn’t observe it, not turning the computer off and also not turning off the lights in other rooms, since dad was here and I had plenty of things to put away. And, since I mentioned dad, he had just made a small piece of what he considers to be homemade “pizza” and, even though it’s anything but, when he just pulled it out of the oven right in front of me, just after I got back, I found myself craving at least a taste and took a small piece of it. Then I also ate one of those oranges, washed, and then continued writing what I posted that day, just managing to get it done before midnight, only a part of the last paragraph being cleaned up just after. But I still had plenty of things to do, and I was tired, and the hour also went forward that night, so I ended up only starting to eat dinner at 4:15 AM. And I didn’t rush, so I finished at 5:20 AM, and then got in bed at 6:10 AM, so at least that’d have been a normal time according to the old hour.

This will be another one of those probably awfully inappropriate posts, adding another that only includes Ukrainian bands to this series. And this time around they don’t even seem to still be active, or at least the two actual new finds don’t have new material or any other activity that I can find in years and the third, which is the one Ukrainian band that I still had on the list, ceased to exist in that form several years ago, though it can be said to have a successor, as a two-person project, but the songs posted under that name seem to be in Ukrainian. And yes, I’m aware that there is one more band on that list that has Ukraine listed as the country, but it’s from Sevastopol and they seem to consider themselves Russian, so they’re part of the problem and I won’t even mention their name now. Either way, once again, I can only hope that the members of these bands will make it through this, along with the rest of the Ukrainians and the country as a whole… And with all of us in this part of the world, and not only.

Kreigen is the band I specifically meant to include this time around, albeit more for what they attempted than for what they actually achieved, this kind of operatic metal with several vocalists requiring production values that they obviously lacked and also more experience than they strike me as having. I’d say that Winter of the Wolf and Therion of Wawel turned out better than the rest, so those are my two picks, the first actually being what I happened to pick to listen to first and the reason why I was actually excited to stumble into this band before the other songs dampened my enthusiasm. Still, the potential is obvious and I’d have certainly liked them to continue.

The other new find is HeirThronE, which can be said to be here in order to have three bands in this post, being a generic power metal, or even simply heavy metal, band, with a rather rough sound and some weaknesses in the vocals. Still, they seem to be kids, or at least they were at the time this was recorded, and I’d actually say that they sound better than I’d have expected after seeing that picture. If you want to listen for yourselves, I’ll go with Metalhallow and Hero as my two picks.

As for the band that was already on the list and which I know is no longer active in this form, though two members continue under the name of Trouble|Me, that’s Sad Alice Said and my picks are Open Your Eyes and Fade. They’re the one band included in this post that seems fairly professional and experienced, and the sound is clean and smooth, quite pleasing to listen to, but it strikes me as rather weak, in the sense of lacking strength. Not that everything needs to have a powerful sound, of course, but it seems to me that they could use, or more exactly could have used, more force in order to truly be memorable.