Cav's Place

I have personal stuff not included in posts going back to August 9, and I’m not just talking about buying things or eating very late, but about things like the medical matters that this post is about, which actually start on August 9, when I first went to Coltea. I did write about the second time I went there, and clearly won’t be writing about September 12 to 16, when I was hospitalized there, but I will add September 17, when I had to go back for something, then scheduling the MRI and having it done, which happened far more quickly than I expected, on October 1. And on October 5 I received the result. So, following what’s recently becoming the normal pattern, this is another post with the first part, only about August 9, posted Sunday evening, albeit scheduled to only show up at 11:59 PM, so I’ll have a second post for the week, and then edited multiple times in order to add the rest, the second part, about September 17 and the following bits, stopping before October 1, being posted before going to bed that morning, some of it being written while eating dinner, which I started at 3:05 AM, and the last part being posted before going to bed the following morning, at which point I also modified the title, to make it more descriptive. It’s still completely wrong to do it in this manner, but I guess it’s the last method I have to at least still write something, before giving up on writing completely, including even these embarrassingly detailed personal posts.

After starting to eat dinner at 3:20 AM again, after a small lunch in the evening but also two doughnuts with added jam eaten just before starting to make the salad, in the early hours of August 9 I first shaved and then nevertheless managed to go to bed just after 5:15 AM, and it’d have been even earlier if I wouldn’t have taken a few minutes to read Not Always Right first. And then I got up just after 9:20 AM, went to the toilet, took a quick shower and left just before 10:55 AM, finally following the recommendation given when I went to Floreasca, not eating or drinking anything in order to get accurate test results.
When I first got there, I went around the hospital, not knowing which entrance to go to, going past one gate where a guard sent someone away, then to the main gate, which was closed, then back the other way, eventually finding the right gate exactly one hour after leaving. Then I told a guard why I was there, was sent to the entrance, repeated the story to the people who were there and showed them the papers. They said I had the wrong hospital and they couldn’t do plenty of those things, but I pointed out where it said I’d have been transferred there from Floreasca and was sent in.
Though she at first told me to call and schedule myself for those tests, the receptionist then said she wanted to help and definitely did. She started by telling me that she’ll say that I have irregular heartbeats, so I’ll get accepted as an emergency case and they’ll look at me then, so I should say the same, so we’ll have the same story… Not that I had to lie, since I actually kept having irregular heartbeats again, albeit usually at night. Either way, she also said that the emergency doctor who was on duty at the time was very good and talked to me some more, repeatedly pointing out how thin I was while poking some fun at herself for being obese, and finding it amusing that I run. She also said she thought something was wrong with my lungs and gave me her name and that of a doctor at another hospital, telling me to ask for that one and say I was one of her relatives or something in case I’ll get sent there to have my lungs checked.
Then I waited until the one admitting emergency patients got to me, and at least she accepted me, though she wasn’t nice. When she checked I saw a mere 95% blood oxygen level and a rather high blood pressure, then had to go back to the receptionist for the paperwork, a part of the discussions I mentioned above taking place at that point. Then I waited some more, reading a bit from the issue of National Geographic I had taken with me until I was called to go in. However, after doing an EKG and having a look at one of my feet, they said they didn’t have much to do if the problem wasn’t obvious at that moment, since my heart was beating normally and my feet weren’t swollen either, after having slept a little and walked. I said that it usually happens at night and was told that in that case I should call an ambulance at night, so somebody will have a look when it happens, but they nevertheless took some blood and had me wait again, though still in that area, not sending me back out.
I seemed to be the only one waiting on a seat, first using one of those near the entrance to that area until the one admitting patients there told me to move to another. So I kept waiting and reading, though that was getting harder as time passed and I was getting increasingly agitated and struggling to somehow keep it together. And it was 5 PM when the emergency doctor came to me for a brief talk, saying that they finally got my test results, asking whether I knew I had some serious disease like HIV/AIDS, cancer or hepatitis, and advising me to accept hospitalization if it’ll again be recommended. But that was far from the end of the wait, since it was past 6 PM when the cardiologist came and I was called back in that room.
That’s when things got ugly, since she was snappish and laid into me, right away accusing me of not admitting that I’m not eating. When I said I do eat, though I hadn’t that day because I wanted the test results to be accurate, she asked what I had the day before and I told her, and she admitted that it was a fair bit. But she then asked why didn’t I look at her and told me to look at her because she feels I’m not listening, not seeming to care when I said I have social anxiety and am trying to maintain some control. And after a bit she also told me to take my cap off, and doing so made me feel even more exposed and panicky, and I think I ended up hugging my backpack, sort of as a shield.
It was a small relief when she went to the desk, to look over the paperwork from Floreasca, at which point she recognized the cardiologist, saying that she had been an intern there, but also that it was a good joke to send me there for some of the tests she had recommended. But it sure was a big mistake to leave my backpack, get up from the bed I had been sitting on and go to her while she did that, because I was again told I should be hospitalized for the tests they can do, and the emergency doctor also returned and said the same, and I ended up on the other bed, in the corner, with nowhere to go and surrounded by maybe four people, or at least three, since I’m not sure whether the fourth was also there at the time. And with my cap and backpack left on the other bed, I had nothing to hide behind except the mask, started crying and was pretty much about to curl into a ball when the cardiologist again snapped at me, asking what was it that time, what was I thinking of, and also repeated, talking to the others as if I wasn’t there, that I don’t eat and she doesn’t believe me when I say I do. She did mutter something like “in that case, fine” when the emergency doctor said that someone who wouldn’t eat wouldn’t have the protein level I have, but still didn’t sound at all convinced.
At least she eventually left, and the emergency doctor and, even more so, the other woman, who at the time I assumed was another doctor but was in fact probably a nurse, were much nicer. But they were still talking of hospitalization, saying they didn’t know for how long, and I froze even worse when the woman said that, even with my social anxiety, I’ll just stay in bed for a week, not interact with anyone except rarely with a doctor, otherwise read, stay on the phone, form my bubble and stay in it. I mean, I was wondering whether I’ll somehow manage two days, pushing through without sleeping, but a week? That was completely out of the question, so I continued to refuse, writing that down when I was asked to do so. Then the emergency doctor prescribed some iron supplement, though he said that it won’t fix the problem and, at the rate I’m clearly losing iron, soon I’ll barely be able to take three steps and they need to find the cause.
Still, I was eventually told to go back out of that room and wait for those test results, and that woman came at one point to ask for the results from 2019 again, for another look, though I had given them to her while in that room as well. Then I was given the paperwork, but was again told that I could change my mind about accepting hospitalization until I’ll leave… And I couldn’t leave just then, the cannula not being removed, since even though those from Floreasca, who had done more tests, hadn’t placed one, they had placed one in my arm even though all they did was draw blood at the beginning. So I went back to ask if someone could remove it, and while the emergency doctor told me to wait a little longer, the other one soon came and said she had forgotten about it… And again repeated that she hoped I’ll change my mind, before telling me to stay five to ten minutes longer, pressing the cotton ball on that spot. Some five minutes later, however, she told me that I could leave, so I did, walking out a bit after 7:05 PM.
From there, I went to the Carrefour from Unirii, getting yogurt and potatoes, and dad called as I was on the way to the checkout, and I told him what had happened. Then I tried to find a slightly shorter route from there to the location of that cheaper pharmacy that stays open later, but just ended up once again proving that the shortest route is the one you know, as I ended up going around a fair bit. And it was pointless to go there anyway, since I asked about the price of that supplement and was scared off by what I was told, obviously not buying it at the time. Was finally back a bit after 9:35 PM.

Moving on to September 17, though I had just been released the day before, I had to get back to Coltea to pick up the paper needed for the insurance to cover the abdominal MRI I had been told to have. The doctor had meant to give it to me when I was released, but was unable to, since I still showed up as being hospitalized at that time, so he told me to return then, around 10:30 AM… And, after the alarm woke me at 9 AM and I left at 10 AM, it was a bit after 10:40 AM when I got to the gate.
Things didn’t go well after that point, however, starting from the fact that I told the guard I should be on the list for that doctor, as he had told me to say, but she said she didn’t have a list for him at all. But she let me in, though I first had to go through the triage, which was done by one of those I had seen while hospitalized. Then I went inside and tried to follow the signs, but a guard asked where I was going and when I told him he pointed me in another direction, things having probably changed because the hospital was preparing to admit COVID-19 patients again. Either way, he also told me to wait for a nurse to come out and ask who was there for that doctor, so I did, but none of them were mentioning his name or even internal medicine, so after trying to ask some other nurse that happened to come when I could gather the courage to do so but having her walk away before I had a chance to, I did ask another, who asked for my name, then went back, and apparently did nothing else. And asking her was a bad choice from another point of view as well, since after doing so I went a short distance away… Just when another nurse came and finally asked who was there for internal medicine, albeit for a different doctor, then left too quickly for me to be able to reach her. So I just continued to wait… Until the place pretty much emptied and nurses stopped coming.
When just a couple of people were left, and I knew that they had already handed over their papers too, I hesitantly advanced, looking around corners and hoping nobody’ll stop me and I won’t get lost, and managing to find the way. Maybe I should have done that from the beginning, and maybe the doctor had told me to do so just before I was released, in that part I wasn’t sure I had understood correctly, but it didn’t seem like it’d be allowed while plenty of other patients were waiting there and staff members kept wandering around, and either way I couldn’t get myself to try. So, instead of around 10:30 AM, I finally reached the room I had to reach just before 12:15 PM. Still, when the nurse came out, I told her why I was there and she said she knew about it and the doctor will come down, another doctor being there at the time even though the schedule listed him between noon and 2 PM. He didn’t come, however, so the nurse asked for what she needed from me and did her part after that other doctor finished with the patients, then called him just before 1:25 PM, told me he’ll come in ten minutes… But that didn’t happen either, so close to 2 PM I asked whether it’d be better for me to leave and come back at a better time, but she again said she had called him. And she was talking to others about COVID-19 and vaccines, seeming rather against the vaccines, and I kept hearing the doctor’s voice and wasn’t sure where it was coming from, so I moved around a little on that hallway and when it seemed that his voice was coming from a certain room I got closer and heard others also make comments that were at least against how many resources were being put into dealing with COVID-19. At that point I finally realized that he was in a video conference, arguing against the complaints of other staff members, which explained why he wasn’t coming, and why another doctor had taken over his shift in the first place.
I didn’t have that much longer to wait, however, since when the nurse looked again and saw that I was still waiting, she called the doctor again, at 2:15 PM, and at just about 2:30 PM he finally came to stamp and sign the paper. He was in a hurry and told me that I was late, but when I said I had actually been there at 10:40 AM but then did what I had been told, waiting for someone to call for his patients, he also explained himself, saying he didn’t know why I wasn’t coming, since he had told me 10:30 AM, and then got caught in conferences. So I couldn’t get myself to show him the picture taken the previous night, after showering, showing that the foot I had held on the floor had quickly turned quite purple, the other one having returned to a normal color after being held up for just a minute or two, but I did show him the ultrasound from 2016, since the MRI was meant to rule out a possible stomach tumor, the doctors being pretty sure that it was just a blood vessel but wanting to be absolutely certain, and I thought I remembered being told something about blood vessels in my stomach back then as well, but he said that what was listed there was different. Also asked about the high urea in the test results, but he said that’s not an issue, possibly being caused by drinking too little that day, which had actually been the case, the tests that actually indicate kidney health being normal. And he asked whether I had started calling around in order to schedule the MRI, then said that if I couldn’t find a spot in September, having it done in October was just fine, since it’s not an emergency.
All of that only took a few minutes and it wasn’t even 2:35 PM when I was out, through the front gate, which he had told me to use. Then I went to the Carrefour from Unirii, picking up a few expiring things, a bread and just a few grapes for myself, after I talked to dad on the phone about getting grapes for my mother and he said it was too early, since he won’t be able to take them to her for quite a few days. Also looked at the eggs that were sold separately, but there was no price, so I asked an employee, she went to check, then came back, apologized and said they don’t have a price in the system and can’t be sold.
On the way back I checked the larger Mega Image from this area, but saw nothing to get, or at least nothing I knew of at the time, since I picked up a catalog but somehow didn’t see that the cat food for Micky and Rocky was discounted again and didn’t look for it. Then I also stopped by the nearby medical center, to ask about scheduling the MRI, but was told that even their waiting lists were closed and to try again in November, even though the site that lists the remaining funds stated that they still had some. Either way, I then bought cheese from this nearby store, also quickly checked the Mega Image across the road, and was back here at 5:20 PM.
Once inside, I realized I had lost a 0.05 RON coin somewhere, but since the bag I had them in had torn, that wasn’t exactly surprising. Otherwise, I called three places that evening, trying to schedule that MRI, but all of them said that even their waiting lists were closed and to try again later, and that when I will be able to schedule the procedure, it’ll be for November or even December. And then I talked for an hour and a half to my mother on the phone, and I’m quite sure I made mamaliga after that. Got in bed at 5:35 AM.

On the morning of September 20, I was bed at 5:25 AM, and in the evening I made a few more calls. I still had no luck, however, being told either that even the waiting lists were closed or that the waiting time was four or five months, and one clinic told me that they only make appointments for December. Still, after passing on the first, I told the second clinic that mentioned that waiting time of four or five months to add me on the waiting list, I guess just to get myself to do that and see how the process goes… And I actually never called them back to cancel that, so I wonder if I’ll ever get a call from them to tell me that I have an appointment coming up. Either way, my mind was messed up after that, which also made me completely forget that I wanted to boil some corn that evening, so I only started working on that around 11 PM, ending up delaying something else I wanted to do at midnight. And there were worms in one of the cobs, one rushing out when I cut the tip, but another ended up floating in the water while boiling. Either way, I started eating dinner at 3:15 AM, having some peanut butter as well, and got in bed at 5:25 AM.

On September 21 I made just one more quick call, but on September 22 I put together quite a list of places to call… Only to be told by the very first one, which is also nearby, that they could schedule me for October 1! I was told that they could only do the upper abdomen, however, because I should have been given two papers in order to have it done for both the upper and the lower, so I accepted that, but since what was written on the paper made me think that the procedure should be for the entire abdomen, I wanted to confirm it with the hospital, so two days later I called there as well and was told that what I had been told from the clinic was indeed correct. Either way, getting back to September 22, I then spent the evening in the kitchen.

One more thing was needed before I could have that MRI, however, and that was something from my dentist certifying that the crown I have since the start of 2017 was compatible with the procedure. I thought it’ll be easy to obtain, and the person from the clinic also said it could be sent by e-mail as well, so I first e-mailed them… Then, when there was no reply, I also sent them a message on Facebook… And when there was no reply to that either, I asked dad to go over there and ask, and on September 29 he did that and came back with the required paper, having apparently been told that they had seen my messages but were waiting for the confirmation from the lab. I have no idea why couldn’t they have said so, or at least acknowledged that they had received my messages in some manner…

On October 1 I first woke up just before 7:50 AM and needed to pee, but with the alarm set to ring at 8 AM I decided to wait and actually fell asleep again, very briefly, that need waking me again seconds before the alarm rang, and I got up when it did. Left with dad a bit before 9:40 AM, but we just walked there, arriving a few minutes before 10 AM. Then we went in, but of course dad couldn’t go past the first reception, so I left the jacket and a few other things with him and walked in, not checking the time but dad later saying that it was 10:10 AM at that point.
I was told to go to the reception on the first floor, but ended up accidentally pressing -1 in the elevator and then being confused because some buttons were lit and some weren’t and 1 wasn’t and, since there were multiple elevators, I was wondering whether some only went to certain floors and that one didn’t go there, especially since it beeped when I pressed 1 but didn’t seem to move. But it beeped when I pressed 0 too, so I first went back to the ground floor, then pressed 1 again and it worked. Then, at that other reception, I filled and signed what I had to, but the receptionist said that the date had been modified on the paper from the hospital. I hadn’t noticed, but I guess the nurse started writing a wrong one and then corrected herself and the receptionist saw that, so she went to check whether they’ll accept it, then came back to say that they will that time but told me to check carefully from then on, and sent me to the seats at the end of the hallway to wait to be called.
Well, I didn’t even reach those seats before a nurse came out to call my name. Then she showed me into a room and told me to leave my clothes there, leaving only my underwear on, and put on what was placed there for me, so I asked whether I could keep my socks on too and she said I could. I wasn’t sure how to put that robe on though, so I was still fussing with it when the nurse came back to ask whether I was done and I went with her, finding the place and the directions rather confusing. But there was no need to know my way around just then, so I sat on the bed I was directed to and she put in the cannula, on the back side of my right hand, in front of the wrist, which I found surprising. I was also asked a few more questions, and then waited for the guy operating the machine to finish with the previous patient. And when that was about to happen he asked whether I needed to go to the toilet, since the procedure was going to take some 40 minutes, so I said that in that case I’d better go, at which point the fact that I found the place confusing showed, since I couldn’t follow his directions and he had to come and point out the toilet to me. Neither of the doors would close though, so I had to pee with them open, which took a little while, since I was looking over my shoulder, worried that someone was going to walk past and I’ll be in full view.
After I was done, I went into the MRI room, was told to leave my mask on a table, which hardly seemed hygienic, and given the instructions for the procedure… Which went really well until the contrast substance was injected, my only worry up to that point being to not fall asleep. When that guy injected that substance, however, it really hurt and I let him know, not that it seemed to make any difference. At first the pain was localized, but I was wondering how free the substance was to spread from there, with my arms over my head, on that pillow, and after the nurse had ripped the robe’s sleeve after putting in the cannula, saying that the arm shouldn’t be restricted, so I raised that arm a tiny bit and the pain lessened, but when I put it back down it returned, spreading all around the wrist. It went away after I was done and could move again, but that part of that blood vessel remained swollen and painful until quite recently, so for well over a month, and in fact it still feels a little harder and thicker than the corresponding one from the other hand. However, it is possible that the reason also had something to do with the fact that something, maybe a sleeve, caught the cannula when I was changing again, since I was sent to do that right after leaving that room, before the cannula was removed, so that might have caused a little injury in that blood vessel, since that moment was also quite painful.
Speaking of changing, I was of course again confused and the room my clothes were in had to be pointed out to me. Then I returned to the bed I had first been told to sit on and the guy gave me the CD and removed the cannula. I’m quite sure it’d have been better if a nurse would have done it, but he seemed to be the only one around and just pulled it out and placed that little round band aid on that spot, without using any alcohol and without giving me any cotton ball to press on that spot for a while. And later, when I took it off, I noticed that he hadn’t even placed that band aid correctly, the sticky part being on the puncture mark. Either way, though it definitely struck me as unhygienic and even unsafe to not use alcohol, I didn’t say anything about that at the time, instead just asking how things looked… Only for the guy to say that he’s just a technician, which made me wonder even more why did he inject that substance and remove the cannula. But there was nothing I could do about it then, so after he told me to give my e-mail address to the receptionist and wait to receive the result in a few days, I walked away, albeit not going straight back to the reception, since I had taken a bottle with me and there was a water dispenser there, so I first filled the bottle from it, then went to the reception, asking to write down my e-mail myself, to make sure it won’t be typed incorrectly.
I walked out of there a bit before 11:45 AM, took back what I had left with dad, who had been waiting for me, and then we went our separate ways, with me using a route that was slightly different from the one I’d have normally used in order to have a quick look in a confectionery before getting to that Carrefour. Didn’t get anything from the confectionery though, while from Carrefour I just grabbed spoiling Kapia and Bianca peppers. Then I went straight to the Kaufland from Obor, grabbing some expiring things and rice… And having the cleaner complain that I didn’t use the drier after washing my hands before leaving, saying she had worked to wipe the floor. But I just looked oddly at her and walked away, not commenting that those driers shouldn’t be used, especially under the current circumstances, and many other places disabled them. Either way, I then forgot I also meant to go to Penny and went straight to Carrefour, grabbing spoiling bananas and three eggs, had a look through the farmers’ market, also quickly checked that Mega Image after crossing the road, and then bought another apple and meringue cake from that new confectionery I had discovered there. I was asked if I didn’t have 1 RON when I did that, so it’ll be simpler to give me the change, and when I said I didn’t the woman who was there told me to check my pockets, because I just might, so I said I knew what I left Carrefour with and even showed her the money I still had, so she gave me the 4 RON as change… But then asked me to come back the next day, buy something else and give them back to her… And instead, I went to the place that’s right next to that confectionery and spent 3 RON on a pastry. Then, on the way back, I checked that Library location, again finding it closed, with a note stating that it’s closed every other Friday, including that one, and made a quick detour for another look in a Mega Image.
I was back at 4:20 PM and had a banana and a cake purchased earlier from Carrefour, saving that new one, plus the sandwich bought from Kaufland and watermelon. In the evening, I napped for just under one hour, then also had yogurt and cereals, and at night made myself mamaliga again, starting to eat dinner at 3:15 AM. Weighed myself after stuffing myself with that and saw 50 kg, which is something I hadn’t seen in a long time. Was down to 48 kg after waking up and crapping the next day, however.

To finish this, I’ll also mention that I received the MRI result on October 5, which result confirmed that there was no real problem with my stomach and stated that everything else was also fine, with the exception of my liver, which is enlarged and has a minimal, but for me definitely worrying, amount of fluid surrounding it. It also confirmed the hemangioma first discovered by that ultrasound done in December of 2019, but listed its size as 7/4 mm, while the ultrasound listed 8 mm, so it definitely didn’t grow and, from what I read, if there’s no growth within a year or so, it’s not a problem and should be safe to ignore permanently.

For what this book aims to do, extrapolating from a handful of representative examples to demonstrate that we’re in the midst of the sixth known mass extinction in the history of life on this planet and that humans are responsible for it, I can find no reasons to complain. It’s written well, easy to read, and the examples and arguments are properly selected and presented. In particular, I’ll point out the appalling but all too common human behavior against other creatures depicted in chapter three, the fact that chapter four doesn’t depict an extinction caused by humans but shows both that extinction isn’t the “fault” of the species going extinct and how tightly even scientists tend to hold on to existing convictions despite the evidence, and chapter eleven, which shows that humans have been a disaster for other species pretty much since we started spreading all over this planet, so that idyllic image of a time when humans lived in harmony with Nature was probably never true.
Past that, however, it stops at pointing out a few extraordinary conservation and possibly restoration efforts, presenting them as proof of the good humans can do, even though all other evidence shows that in that case you can’t extrapolate in the same manner. Choosing to end in that manner instead of stressing that typical human behavior, at the individual level but far more importantly in terms of how society, past and present, is set up and functions, is responsible for all this destruction and needs to change, quickly and radically, is disappointing to say the least.
As for the translated edition I read, I spotted a handful of typos and translation errors, so I wonder how many I didn’t spot, especially since the translator didn’t seem sufficiently comfortable with the field. And I still don’t like the notes being at the end, and in this case the number would have allowed them to be footnotes… Which would have also likely avoided the couple of situations where the numbers in a chapter ended up off by one after a point.

Rating: 4/5

I’ll start the post about the marathon from October 28, when I left at 5:30 PM to pick up my race kit, giving up on the idea of taking the UPS to be serviced, the whole part about the UPS issues being a matter for another post. Before leaving, however, I noticed they had changed the route, removing that entire part I didn’t know. That made most of the first walk, of a part of the route, pointless, but the change was definitely for the better, that part being replaced with the route coming this way again, and adding a small bit on Burebista. So I started by walking this part, first going in the opposite direction on Basarabia. Used the opportunity to also quickly check that new bakery and considered grabbing a bread, but decided against it, and saw that they increased the price of cakes by a third, so after considering trying some at first, at that low price they had shortly after opening, now it’s pretty much out of the question. Either way, also quickly checked that Mega Image, then turned around where the route did and made my way to Constitution Square.
Things were a bit tricky at that point, since I was getting there just before 7 PM and I guess I should have just crossed the road, but saw a police car there and didn’t even look to see whether crossing was an option, assuming it was there just to prevent people from crossing in that spot, though in fact the reason was probably just the opposite. So I turned right, to go around to the crossing… Only to see a fence on the other side, and others who also meant to cross ahead of me turning back. So I did the same at first, but turned back again after a few steps, after seeing first a woman crossing and continuing ahead, around the fence, on the street, and then four more people meaning to cross. So I crossed with them and we all continued ahead, along the fence, on the road, ending up going all around, since the entrance was just on the other side of Unirii Boulevard, where I hadn’t crossed when I got there.
When I did finally reach the entrance, I found a bit of a mess, several volunteers scanning certificates and confirmation letters and no organized queue, a guard occasionally telling one person or another to go to a certain volunteer. But things were moving, so I was given the bracelet I again had to keep on my arm until the race and was entering the truly pitiful Sport Expo area at 7:10 PM, seeing just two tents set up besides the areas for picking up the race kits and not finding the energy bar I was considering buying. And none of the NGOs had anything set up either, so I just went through the motions in order to get the kit, then stopped at a table to check what I received and stuff the bag in my backpack, and left a bit after 7:25 PM.
Then I went to the Carrefour from Unirii, finding the mushrooms I wanted and a few more bio (organic) eggs in the pile of cheap ones, and also bought some whole wheat pasta of their brand, even if they’re imported, since I couldn’t find some of that kind from here. Used a 5 RON voucher I had while paying, then went to that Mega Image as well, since the green onions were slightly less expensive there than in Carrefour and they were small and wilted in both places… And, as I was putting my things in a cabinet, somehow the bag with the eggs struck the cabinets and one cracked, though at least it didn’t actually break. And I had no 0.50 RON coin, so I left the cabinet door unlocked and looked through the green onions, ending up thinking that they were even worse than in Carrefour and maybe it’d have been more cost-effective to get them from there after all. But I found a somewhat acceptable bundle and bought it, using a self-checkout and paying by card, the employee needing to come to override the error, since for some reason it wouldn’t accept the green onions when I placed them on the scales. Then I wondered how to leave, since you need to use another exit if you use the self-checkouts, and was still confused after asking, not knowing which door the employee referred to and taking a few steps in the opposite direction at first. Eventually turned around and hesitantly stepped in the correct direction, but still had no idea what to do next until another customer showed me that I was supposed to use what’s labeled as the emergency exit. So I did that and then went back to the entrance, to retrieve my things from the cabinet, then on the way back also walked that part of the route that was going to be on Burebista.
After getting back here, at 9:50 PM, I put the things I had brought in their place, grated some apples, adding sugar and eating them after dad left, then quickly checked a few things on-line, took a shower that was longer than I thought, and only got back in the kitchen at 12:40 AM. There were still things to wash, however, and then I made mamaliga, in part because I couldn’t find any bread I’d have wanted to get, so I only had the whole wheat one from Auchan, and only enough of that for two days, which I wanted to be the next two. Either way, started eating dinner at 3:35 AM, and that was without having had lunch earlier. Got in bed at 5:25 AM.

Spent the evening of October 29 in the kitchen, making the pasta, which I then had as a late lunch. Started to eat dinner at 3:30 AM, and while eating I wrote what I posted that night, which meant I hardly did anything else on-line that night, yet still only got in bed at 5:35 AM.

On October 30, started preparing to make the large salad well before dad left, but took it slowly and it was a few minutes before midnight when I started eating the pasta and part of said salad, I guess sort of as lunch, since I sliced the bread after I finished that, the slices, with peanut butter, and the rest of the salad being dinner, finished at 1:55 AM. But then I somehow forgot past experience even though I had tried to make a mental note to not repeat that, so if the intention was to do something so I won’t have to worry about those intermittent UPS issues, which remain a matter for another post, the result was that my computer got turned off, so I then had to lose time I didn’t have to turn it back on and check a few things. If I’d have turned the monitor back on, I’d have noticed the problem, but after turning it and the UPS off, since the computer wasn’t plugged into it anymore, I unplugged the UPS and, while I did plug the monitor in the power strip, I left it off, since I was going to shave. But the UPS was still connected to the computer, so it appeared as if it had lost power and then communication, and I guess it’s a good thing I was still in my room, searching for something, when it turned the computer off. And at least that made me crap one more time, though I had done so in the evening as well. Then I shaved, placed the number on the t-shirt, changed the time on the clocks, got the bag ready and was in bed at 3:45 AM. So, even though the practice needs to go away in general, it’s a good thing the time went back that particular night, as otherwise it’d have been pointless to go to bed at all. Even so, a little after 4:30 AM, after napping just a little, I was awake again, and after a few minutes decided to get up and pee, just in case, which proved a good choice, since I really had to go again when alarm rang.

To finally get to the race day, October 31, I got up when the alarm rang, at 5:45 AM, and quickly went to try to crap yet again, actually managing something. It was mostly gas, however, and I unfortunately had a lot of that, the impression I got being that it was mostly caused by that large salad, and for some reason by the one fibber I had put in it in particular. Either way, I then had both a banana and an apple, and also baked pumpkin, and put almonds as well as peanuts in dark chocolate in the yogurt and cereals. Again forgot to finish those nicer biscuits expired long ago, however. But at least I didn’t forget to also take the pills before leaving, and left with dad a bit before 7:25 AM, and since he drove me there and the roads weren’t yet closed, it wasn’t even 7:40 AM when I was there. Did have one issue, however, the backpack’s straps being so flimsy that one tore after it got caught in something as I was getting out of the car.
After walking in, I went straight to the Sport Expo area… Only to find the same two manned tents, neither selling the energy bar I was looking for. Did have a closer look at some of those that were sold and asked about the price of one, but since it wasn’t what I actually wanted and I had also taken the second protein bar I had left with me just for this situation, I decided against buying anything. And, seeing as I think only two NGOs had manned tents, the one I had again picked not being among them, and the tent of that sponsor I had grabbed protein milk bottles from before and after the half marathon was also closed and unmanned, in fact nothing seeming to be offered to participants anywhere, and I didn’t care to take part in the warmup, I hardly had anything to do. But at least I wasn’t cold, so I quickly removed the shirt I had under the jacket, then sort of stood around for a while, made a few lazy moves of my own choosing at the edge of the group taking part in the warmup and eventually took the bag, with the jacket also stuffed in it, to the wardrobe, stood in line to pee, also seeing three people I recognized from the Dream Treks walk by during that time, though I hadn’t seen them gathering earlier, as it had happened before the half marathon, and then made my way to the start area.
Once there, since there were no start sectors again, I squeezed through until I was just in front of the 4:00 pacemakers, and the 2:00 ones for the half marathon, since the idea was to stay ahead of them as long as possible, ideally reaching the halfway point in less than two hours and staying ahead of the 4:00 pacemakers for 25 km. The start time was approaching when I reached that spot, but I still wanted to eat one of the protein bars, so I rushed to do so, staying next to the fence surrounding the start area and facing it, so I won’t face the other participants with my mask down, especially since there were repeated calls to keep our masks on until just after the start… Not that there weren’t plenty who were ignoring those calls, without the excuse of eating or drinking, but I wanted to do what I could. Either way, I’d have had to rush to finish that bar while making my way to the start line if the start would have been at exactly 8:30 AM, but since it was a little late, I managed to finish it in time and pull my mask back up, then got going.

My start time could have been better, since I mostly walked to the line, but I was pretty close to it and those pacemakers stayed behind me, and 53 seconds was good enough, trying to squeeze through the crowd seeming like too much effort for too little gain. Plus that I was going to slow almost immediately anyway, at the first turn, to remove my mask and put it in the little paper bag I had for that purpose and then in the pocket of my tights. Plenty were just throwing theirs away, of course, though I don’t recall seeing any more of those marked bins in that area, but a fair number were also placing them on their arms, so I guess it wasn’t quite as bad as it could have been. Either way, between the time lost with that and the crowd, I covered the first kilometer in 5:46, which I was actually very pleased with, the target being six minutes for that one, then staying under 5:30 for as long as possible starting from the second.
Well, I was actually rather too fast early on, the third kilometer being the fastest, with 4:57, since by then I had room to pretty much run at my own pace. I continued to have surprisingly good times even when I had to deal with the bad slope towards Stirbei Voda, at seven kilometers, though my right knee started giving me some warnings at that point and that was something I had to manage on and off from then on. And refreshment points didn’t make me go over 5:30 either at first, even though I took two cups each time, with the exception of the next to last one, and I probably lost a few seconds more at first, optimizing a little better after that. Either way, the first time I did go over 5:30 again was on the 11th kilometer, when I got to 5:37, though I still safely covered 11 km in under one hour. There had been another refreshment point during that kilometer, but I had already been gradually getting slower, closer to 5:30, so it was no surprise… What was a surprise being that I saw someone from the Dream Trek group stopped there, and since I didn’t see her number to make sure and didn’t check later either, but the first relay change was also in that area, I wonder whether some of them formed a relay team, or maybe more than one, which would explain not seeing more of them before the start.
Did get back under 5:30 on the next two kilometers, and again caught up to the woman in light blue, taking part in the half marathon, who had sort of been my target for most of that first part, but seeing as there’s also a slope going down in that area, that clearly wasn’t going to be the case for much longer. And it obviously wasn’t going to be the case on kilometers 14 and 15, seeing as the route climbed that short but steep slope pretty much at the 14 km marker… Which marker I actually missed. It was the only one I missed over the course of the race, and that was probably because it was more or less in the spot where I briefly stopped to tighten a shoelace I wrongly thought was coming loose. Then I basically just walked up that bad slope while digging the second protein bar out of the running belt, but the loss of time over the 15th kilometer was much greater, since my hands were frozen and I kept struggling and failing to open the wrapping, only finally managing to do so after reaching Cismigiu Park, where there was another refreshment point as well. I think I covered kilometers 14 and 15 in 12:18, and while that might be off by a few seconds, it’s clear that I lost about a minute and a half in that area.
Memories become less clear after that point, and my notes no longer include times as a result, but I think I got back to slightly below 5:30 on kilometers 16 and, maybe even more likely, 17, but if so then I’m pretty sure that was the last time that happened. Of course, with the much less steep but also much longer slope to climb on Elisabeta on the way back, the 18th kilometer was clearly going to be slower, and after that I was just tiring and had to settle into a pace I could maintain. I still had some moments, around the halfway point, on kilometers 20 to 22, when I dared to calculate the pace needed to finish in four hours, but trying to maintain one that would allow me to slow later made me feel that something was not all right as I was getting to the 22 km marker, so I just made sure that I reached it in less than two hours, I think with no more than a few seconds to spare, took out and had the first gel, and reassessed the situation.
I still tried to push while running the numbers through my mind, but minutes later, as I was reaching the 23 km marker, a certain pressing need suddenly appeared and I had to give up on any remaining thoughts of maintaining anything like that sort of pace… And started seriously thinking of looking for a proper toilet to go to. The first place I briefly considered was a restaurant on Mircea Voda, and then I more seriously considered a gas station I saw on the other side after reaching the river again. That was some way away from the bridge, however, adding a few hundred meters if I was to get there and then return to the route in the same spot, so I kept going… Until I saw another gas station, again on the other side but right at a bridge, just where the 26 km marker also was. So, with the experience from this summer’s Dream Trek proving that gas stations can be very valid options under these circumstances, I turned off the route and went there, fortunately catching the light while it was still green as well, and the toilet unoccupied. When the light turned off, I thought there had been a power failure, but since it happened twice while I was on the toilet and then it turned itself back on again, and the time it stayed on and off seemed very similar, it was probably a system meant to urge people to not keep the toilet occupied for too long. But it wasn’t like I wanted it to take any longer than it had to, getting up before really getting everything out and certainly without really wiping well enough, just getting enough of a relief to feel much better, then washing my hands and rushing back out, catching the light green yet again. The exact time that passed between turning off the route and returning to it was 8:50, but I lost a little more since I walked while putting my mask, which I had obviously worn inside the gas station, back in its place.
Then again, I wouldn’t consider that time as lost. I probably didn’t recover all those nine minutes by the end, compared to what I’d have managed while desperately squeezing my butt, like the first time, but I’m sure I recovered most of that, and definitely felt a whole lot better. And if even so, after a very long time without this happening, I again started bleeding badly since then, usually after runs, I don’t want to think about what’d have happened if I’d have held it in all that time… Though, considering how things seem now, it’s possible it wouldn’t have been significantly worse, at least after the first day or two…
Getting back to the marathon, on top of feeling somewhat content with the fact that I hadn’t just managed to stay ahead of the 4:00 pacemakers for more than the initial target of 25 km, but they hadn’t even overtaken me “on track”, seeing as they got ahead during my “pit stop”, the relief made the next few kilometers seem quite easy, the only notable moment being at the end of that section, where the cones marking where we were supposed to turn were placed in a confusing way and I might have also turned too early if the guy ahead of me wouldn’t have done so, which made me pay closer attention and spot the timing area a few steps farther. There was a referee there as well, of course, and I gestured to him and said that the guy ahead had turned early, but he told me, in English, that he had no number, which did seem to be the case when I finally overtook him, so maybe he wasn’t actually competing.
Catching up to that guy to have a look took me a while, and required pushing, but I could do that at that point, so I kept it up… Until I got to 30 km. I was fine when I reached that refreshment point, slowed, took and drank the first cup, then the second, then started running again, but as I meant to return to the pace I had before, my body just refused and I started experiencing the symptoms of hitting the wall. Nothing surprising, of course, 30 km being the latest that happened, the time spent basically resting on the toilet likely having much to do with why it happened two kilometers later than during the long practice run. And a bit of a slope was coming as well, so as I was approaching 31 km I slowed again and had the last bar, that being the one which had been in the race kit… Which was really sweet and made things much worse for a while, adding nausea and a little later cramps and a burning feeling from my stomach on top of the burning legs. I’m still quite sure I reached 31 km in just under three hours, and then it wasn’t like I hadn’t been in that situation before, so I knew what to do, got my head down and started working through it, taking it step by step. As a result, by 33 km I was starting to recover and at 34 km I was in, shall we say, a new normal.
From then on, it seemed easy, relatively speaking. There was also a nice moment soon after that, when a gendarme stationed around 34.5 km congratulated me, and around or likely a bit after 35 km an older woman shouted that just a little was left, to which I replied that said “little” meant seven kilometers. But otherwise I kept running the numbers through my mind, what times I needed to be faster than the first time. And I stayed well within them even when I had the last two refreshment points to deal with. Admittedly, the slowest kilometer was one which had been “affected” by a refreshment point, and I believe it was the next to last one, when I also had the last gel, but I covered even that one in less than seven minutes, albeit just by a matter of seconds. And said next to last refreshment point was managed by those organizing Rosia Montana Marathon, with a guy I knew from protests being there, but while we recognized each other I could barely nod in reply to his greeting, since I was having that gel at the time, which was also part of the reason why it was the only time I took a single cup, the other part being that it was an unusually full one. As for the last refreshment point, it was managed by the NGO I had chosen to support again, and the woman I had talked to before and after the half marathon was also there and again we recognized each other.
For quite a few kilometers, starting at least soon after we reached Basarabia, if not even a little earlier, a guy who kept varying his pace tended to stay just ahead of me, slowing until I overtook him, then speeding up again until he ended up a small distance ahead, then slowing again, this repeating several times until I finally pulled ahead, well after we were back on Decebal. But that was before that last refreshment point and now I’m getting to what happened after it, the next marker being for 40 km, and I’m again quite sure I got there in less than four hours, and I clearly realized it was possible to finish in less than 4:15 even as official time, so I started calculating what I needed for that and really pushed on those last two kilometers. And I also stopped trying to hold in all the gas I had when others were close, so I think it was also during those final two kilometers when letting one rip made a woman and a child waiting for an opening to cross laugh out loud.
My first target on the last kilometer was a guy who was just ahead of me and seemed stronger than his pace indicated, so I knew that if I’ll overtake him too early I’ll paint a target on my back, he’ll start pushing and after he’ll get back ahead I won’t be able to keep up, but he was a bit too slow, so I did end up overtaking him, and the result was exactly what I thought it’d be. But then I fixed the next two who were ahead as my next targets, closed in gradually, managing a great 5:43 on that 42nd kilometer, and overtook both over the space of 100 meters, between the marker for 42 km and that for 21 km, the finish line being the same for the half marathon and the marathon. And the woman was in a relay team and had such a disheartened look when I went past her at that pace… And I covered that last bit, from 42 km to the end, in exactly or even just under one minute, with quite a sprint on the final straight, even though there was nobody else I could catch.
The real time was 4:11:28, with an official time of 4:12:21. And I still felt fine at the end, so it could have been even better. But it was better than expected anyway, and 8:12 better than the first time, and if you add those nine minutes lost with the toilet break, the minute and a half lost with the wrapping of that first bar, and the seconds lost with each refreshment point, the other bars and the gels, and tightening that shoelace, you end up with an actual running time below four hours. But I obviously wouldn’t have maintained that pace without that “pit stop” and the refreshment points, and either way I’d have been rather disappointed to end up with a real time below 4:09, wondering whether I could have managed to get under four hours by squeezing my butt all that time yet again, however unlikely that’d have been. But as it was, it was just what was needed to be content… And still have the motivation to try again, hoping to eventually get under four hours, which is the last running goal I can think of for the moment.

The above is the bare minimum that had to be included in this post, but the original plan called for it to include the rest of the day as well, which would mean quite a lot more. But the above was already added in three parts, with the first, actually added rather early Sunday evening, ending as I got to the start area, the second, added before I went to bed Monday morning, at which point I also changed the time to 11:59 PM, getting as far as the “pit stop” and the mention of bleeding, and the third only being added before I went to bed Tuesday morning, which was actually even later than usual just because I wanted to at least get that far. And on top of clearly making it my longest post yet, adding all the rest would likely take quite a while longer, and I can’t just keep editing a post in this manner, this fourth part already being added in the early hours of Wednesday, making it even worse than the previous personal one, so I’ll just get as far as leaving that area and leave the rest for some other time. The problem is that I just have one line of notes, and even that’s about the time after I got back, only the receipts reminding me of what I did before that, so delaying even more will make it even harder to remember, and more likely that errors will slip through… But it doesn’t matter anyway.

Returning to the marathon, after receiving the medal I made my way to the area where the finishers could grab more cups of that drink, bottles of water, apples and bananas and got a bottle of water and two of each of the others, drinking that drink, eating one banana and holding on to the rest. While I was there, a guy complained about the lack of any fruits at refreshment points and I said it was the same at the half marathon, and one of the volunteers working with the fruits said that he heard there had been fewer refreshment points then too, so I said the number had been the same, just that there had been nothing to eat. That guy continued by saying that it’s different for a half marathon, might just be acceptable, but for a full marathon it can’t be and it was the worst organized one he ever saw, but I found myself saying that, under those circumstances, I’m content that it took place at all. After all, with the explosion in the number of cases and deaths having finally forced our authorities to enact some new restrictions just as of that week, that had been in doubt pretty much until the last moment. I did raise an eyebrow at the small number of apples that seemed to be left though, not spotting any others behind the tables. But maybe I just missed them.
Either way, after leaving that area, with that sponsor’s tent still closed and unmanned, that NGO unsurprisingly still not having one and nothing else catching my interest, I retrieved my bag from the wardrobe, dug out the camera and, since nobody else was asking for their bag at that moment, asked the wardrobe volunteers whether they could take a picture of me, and one of them did. Still wanted one next to the final straight though, so I then made my way there and after trying to work up the courage for a couple of minutes managed to ask a woman to take a picture of me as well, and she did. Then I took off the number and medal, put everything in the other backpack I had fortunately taken with me, went to the toilet, put on my jacket and headphones and finally left that area a bit after 1:30 PM. Even though I had felt fine while wandering around in that area for close to one hour with just the t-shirt on, moments after leaving I felt cold even with the jacket, stopping again to put that shirt on as well.

The Purring Quest is a niche game, aimed at a particular audience, the content, the “characters”, and the aesthetics mattering more than the actual gameplay, to the point that the primary genre could probably be said to be cute cat game and not platformer. And from that point of view it definitely delivers, with lovely graphics, accurate animations, fitting music, relevant messages sprinkled throughout the game and, for those who are into that sort of thing, appearances by several famous Internet cats. And I’ll also mention here that the main screen updating according to your progress is another nice touch.
The above may even be all that needs to be said about the game, as long as it’d be playable, which it is… Even if it might not have been at launch, since on top of some bugs and other lesser issues, the initial release only included the high jump mechanic. But double jump, which I for one would consider the game unplayable without, was added in version 1.4, released five weeks after launch, which is a pretty short amount of time to alter the gameplay in such a significant, and positive, manner. And since I’m reviewing the fully patched version I played, which allows the player to choose between the two jump mechanics, so I obviously chose double jump, I won’t hold the game’s launch state against it, especially since it’s an indie game, made with limited resources and for a cause.
Still on the matter of the actual gameplay, but from another point of view, it must be said that each of the five stages differs from the others, not just in terms of the setting, but by introducing new elements that fit together well and altering similar ones in ways that need to be taken into account, so the game never gets dull. There are mice that just walk, frogs that hop and pigeons that fly and may also drop “bombs”, if you know what I mean. There are objects to hide behind and objects to move, and some to knock over just for the fun of it. There are crumbling, moving and bouncy platforms. There are creepers, sprinklers, windows that open and close, and old ladies that peek outside. Eventually, there are even cameras and lasers. And the end of each stage is completely different from the others.
Seeing as some types of damage, such as being struck by small animals or objects, don’t break your progress but others, such as being caught by dogs or falling, send you back to the last checkpoint, some developers might have been inclined to send the player back to the beginning of a stage after losing all lives, with more sadistic ones even erasing some or even all progress. In The Purring Quest, however, you continue from the last checkpoint whether you lost one life in a “bad” way or all of them, the difference being that if you lose all lives they’re restored at that point, so losing all lives may even be recommended sometimes, especially before tricky sections where you’re likely to take a lot of “regular” damage, like the end of the first three stages. And if you find after completing a stage that you missed some collectible, you can restart it and only get what you missed, not even needing to reach the end again.

Still, it’d be nice if all progress would be saved, as in killed mice or frogs and, in most cases, moved objects. And I’d have definitely wanted to be able to save anywhere, checkpoints that get to be too far apart meaning not only that you may have to go through too much of a stage again if you take “bad” damage or lose all lives, but also that you can’t quit whenever you may need to. And only having the single, automatic save means there can’t be more people playing the game on the same account.
Then again, it’s a short game, and while I wouldn’t have wanted the stages to be any longer, considering how different they are from each other I’d say the game wouldn’t have overstayed its welcome if each would have had a second part as well, adding more content even if more truly different stages wouldn’t have been feasible. Of course, that’s not really the point of such a game, which I’ll say again is mainly meant to be cute and support a cause, and others may prefer it as it is, but in my view it would have been better that way.
Moving on to the negative aspects of the gameplay, I’ll just get it out of the way and start by saying that the high jump mode is basically unusable, so I pity those who wanted to play the game soon after release, before double jump was added. But it was added, so that doesn’t matter anymore, what’s more important being that carrying momentum in jumps makes them imprecise. That’s another thing that I gather was worse at launch, and the fully patched version makes quite a few allowances compared to what being truly realistic would mean, the fact that I managed to finish the game relatively quickly being proof enough of that, but imprecise controls in a precision platformer tend to cause frustration.
And, speaking of frustration, the end of each of the stages can definitely cause plenty of that. The first may be a rather typical boss fight, so after figuring out what you’re supposed to do it should go well enough, but the second is tricky even after you do figure it out. Not sure if describing exactly what I’m referring to would count as a spoiler, but I’d rather not and just say that even if you do what you’re supposed to be doing, it often won’t work, so you just have to avoid losing all lives until it does work enough times. And then you have a particularly tricky platforming section at the end of stage three, which you’re likely to need to keep trying until you learn well enough, since I doubt anyone can simply react in time. And another tricky platforming section comes before the end of stage four, but in that case the actual end is completely different and the one part of the game that didn’t seem to fit at all with the rest, since we’re talking about a rhythm game, and quite a long one at that! At least you’re allowed several mistakes in that rhythm game, while at the end of stage three there are a few spots where you can stop and rest, but the end of stage five takes everything away, each mistake meaning that you have to start over, and a few collectibles pretty much requiring you to sacrifice the chance to complete the stage in that run, so all you can do is keep trying, hoping to get a bit farther each time and learn it so well that the correct moves pretty much become muscle memory.
Otherwise, I did find myself wondering why seven lives instead of nine. And how high you can fall from without losing a life. Or why there’s no option to replay the ending, not to mention one to see the credits, needing to go through that tricky part at the end of stage five all over again if you want to do so. And I’ll also add under negative odds and ends that the foreground scenery can sometimes obstruct the view and that Kimchi gets bored quickly if idle and the first command given after one of those animations starts is ignored, which is quite a problem if you need to wait for just the right moment to move. Since that may make some sense in a way, I’m not sure it’s a bug, but the one clear remaining bug I found has to do with hiding from dogs after they spot you. Usually it just requires a bit of patience, the screen remaining black for a few seconds before the game recovers and you find yourself back at the last checkpoint, but once, when Kimchi also for some reason ended up “hiding” next to the hiding spot and I tried to quickly get out and hide again only to be spotted by the dog in that brief moment, the dog ended up turning back and forth in front of the hiding spot and Kimchi wouldn’t come out, so I was stuck and had to force the game closed.

Even if one were to look at it just as a game, The Purring Quest, fully patched, would likely be seen as a pretty good platformer, offering plenty of variety, though it is rather too short. But that’s more of a bonus than the relevant conclusion, seeing as it primarily aims to appeal to cat lovers, support and inform about a cause, and look and feel cute start to end. And from those points of view it thoroughly delivers, so feel free to ignore my complaints if that sounds like something that would appeal to you.

The plan for this week’s personal post was clearly to write about the marathon, but then again the non-personal one should have been the review for The Purring Quest and that didn’t happen either, so I guess it’s little surprise that this post isn’t about the maraton. The reason for it is more surprising, however, since I was sure that another planting season was going to pass without being able to plant trees, the e-mails from the two NGOs whose tree planting events I attended in recent years again specifying that they’ll only accept people who can provide their own transportation, but when I received a reminder from one of the NGOs that people could still sign up for their November 13 event, on Thursday, I replied, first to say that while the subject correctly mentioned November 13, the actual text said November 6, but also adding that it’s rather strange for an environmental NGO to urge people to drive to an environmental event. And Friday I received a reply, stating that they do offer transportation, a bus picking up those who can’t get to the location on their own Saturday morning, at 8:15 AM, from Victory Square. And there was indeed an option in the form that had to be filled in order to sign up, stating that you needed transportation, but since the e-mail clearly stated that the event was “exclusively” for those who can provide their own transportation, and there was absolutely no mention of a bus anywhere else either, I assumed that anyone selecting that would get rejected.

The thing is that my plan for Friday was to run, the second time this week, since the weather is likely to get worse, and that wasn’t exactly a good idea if I meant to plant trees the following day, and had to leave in the morning and therefore get pretty much no sleep either. In addition, the message received after I filled that form, which I did before leaving to run, stated that the required antigen test had to be done at one of the locations of a certain center, not before the event, as I had assumed, so I had to go there that evening as well. But I stuck to the plan, so I first ran, which is a matter for another post, and after getting back I clicked the link I had been sent and selected the location I wanted to get tested at, then had the few little pieces that were still edible of a quince which had gone really bad and went out again at 7:15 PM. And in fact my initial plan did include going out again that evening, but to buy a few things, and the testing center was in another direction. There was a Penny on the way though, so I meant to at least get the things I meant to get from there on the way back.
Well, that seemed in doubt after reaching the center I had selected, at 7:40 PM… Only to be told that the system was down and asked to return in half an hour or so, to see whether it had recovered. With stores needing to close at 9 PM, that was time I didn’t want to lose, but had no other options, so I crossed to the Mega Image from that area and wandered around for a while, considering getting a discounted cake but deciding against it after being unable to find its actual price, not wanting to add another interaction in order to ask, and returned after some 25 minutes, finding a few others in line. And it was some ten more minutes until the forms were completed, since after my turn came, they didn’t find my name on the list provided to them by the NGO, likely because I had filled that form so recently, so they had to contact someone from there to confirm that I was among those they’ll cover the cost of testing for. And some ten more minutes passed while waiting to actually go in, the person ahead of the one ahead of me taking quite a while for some reason. But at least that was the end of it and I was out moments later, a little after 8:30 PM, being told to wait for the result by e-mail and SMS.
Then I rushed to Penny, grabbing just the frozen peas, since I couldn’t find green onions, and then found I even had time to also check the next Mega Image, grabbing a bagel and being out just before 9 PM despite waiting for quite a while behind a guy buying a lot of stuff. Then, after getting back at 9:15 PM, I ate that bagel, with added jam, showered, also removing the scabs from my elbow and knee, which are another matter for another post, and then made mamaliga, adding a little butter, two eggs and, very unusually, dad’s green beans, so they won’t get thrown away, since he had left them in the fridge until he said they were at the limit, close to spoiling, and still preferred to make himself something else that day as well. The result was too much food and also rather watery, and I also ate it too late considering when I had to get up, but that had also been part of the plan for that day and I continued to stick to it. Then I also shaved and managed to get in bed at 4:15 AM… Only to get up to pee again after only some 20 minutes, if even that. Somehow did fall asleep after that, but very briefly, peeing again at 5:10 AM. And dad got back soon after that, the cats also obviously started meowing, and my chances of getting any more sleep seemed slim to none. I might have napped for just a few more minutes though.

Either way, it was a few minutes before 6 AM when I checked the time and got up, the alarm being set to ring at 6 AM. There was no time to take a crap, which was going to be a problem, but the more immediate one was that need to still pee so often after the mamaliga and salad. And removing those scabs, the one on my knee in particular, hadn’t been the best idea either, so I quickly put some bandages in those places again, and also did a partial backup, since there’s no UPS to protect my computer these days, that whole thing remaining yet another matter for another post. Adding all of that to filling and signing the required forms, which dad had printed at work, to how slow I am in general and to the fact that I hadn’t exactly gotten anything ready before going to bed, and in fact hadn’t even really been certain of what I wanted to take or even wear, meant that it was close to 7:45 AM when I finally went out the door, when the plan had been to preferably leave at 7:30 AM, and 7:40 AM at the very latest.
I did have dad’s metro card, and that was the first time I used the metro after deciding to avoid any public transportation last March, for safety, and I mostly jogged there, but that didn’t help me in the least, since I then waited for some six minutes and was getting really worried by the time it came. After all, we had been told to be there ten minutes before leaving, so at 8:05 AM, and at that point I was starting to wonder whether I’ll even make it by 8:15 AM or end up missing the bus if they’ll stick to the schedule, especially since I no longer remembered which exit I had to use in order to be closer to that parking lot. But I furiously worked my brain on the way and managed to figure it out, so I came out where I wanted and could also cross quickly, just in time to see the others get in the bus. So I ran, apologizing when I reached the group’s coordinator and asking whether I was late, but after she asked for my name and had a look at my certificate she said they were still waiting for a few others, so at least I wasn’t the last one, though it was 8:10 AM when I got on the bus. And quite a few more minutes passed until two others calmly walked up, drinking what I guess was coffee. By then I had started considering asking whether I could rush to pee one more time, if we were going to wait any longer, since I obviously hadn’t taken the time to do so before exiting the metro station and a trip lasting close to one hour sounded like it could be quite a problem. But, even if somebody seemed to still be missing after those two arrived, the coordinator made a call and then told the driver that we could leave, so I just hoped I was going to make it.
And, even if the bus left a little after 8:20 AM and the trip took 45 minutes, I didn’t just make it, but actually only needed to go once, a little before noon, though the situation was really desperate at that point. But I’m getting ahead of myself, so let me get back to the proper order of things and say that, after we got there, a little more time was taken by the formalities, five or six needing to fill and sign the forms there, not having done so ahead of time… And apparently I had also forgotten to sign one of the papers, so I was called to do so. And I also took off the sweater and that thing worn on my neck as I sort of stood around, being probably among the last to go up and receive the kit, since I couldn’t quite get myself to do so.
When I did finally get myself to ask for a kit, the guy saw I was wearing the hat received from them two years ago and didn’t give me another, but insisted to give me another one of those things that can be worn on the neck or to some extent also on the head, if the cord is pulled tight, since at that point I was no longer wearing that one received from that other NGO, two weeks after that last tree planting event organized by this NGO that I attended. I tried to refuse it while struggling to get myself to say that I’d have actually wanted another hat instead, but could do neither, so I ended up with another one of those and remained with a single winter hat with the exception of the one knitted by Andra. And also ended up with another one of those thin blue vests, not even remembering to try to give it back at the end, even though the one received from that other NGO that last time has been hanging in the kitchen these past two years, and I definitely have no use for it. Either way, also received another bottle, but it’s smaller and the quality seems worse than that of the one received from them the previous time, and it was also given full of water, but I never touched that water and just poured it out after getting back here. On the other hand, I wasn’t offered gloves, so I reached for a pair, but when the guy noticed that he said I needed a smaller one, and it seems he was right, since the ones I was given seemed to be the right size. Tea and coffee were also offered, but I didn’t take any.
I was just about to go to the toilet when, at 9:25 AM, we were asked to gather around to listen to a few things. And then there was no more time to go, since right after those speeches we walked the short distance to the start of the area where we were to plant the trees, were shown the proper way to plant and, just after 9:45 AM, were told to make teams of two and start working… And also that two people should plant about 50 trees in the three hours we had for that first shift, the participants having been split into two groups, with others, who really had to get there on their own, supposed to arrive and start after we’ll finish. But, lacking a teammate, I was obviously at a loss before I could even start, just standing around for a moment. But since nobody approached to ask me whether I wanted to team up, I started haltingly walking along the line of people starting to work, first spotting one of the girls who had been on the bus and asking whether she had a teammate, since she seemed alone at the time. But she said she did have one, so I took a few more steps and saw a guy who had started working despite being alone and, after taking another moment to have a really good look and make sure I didn’t miss a possible teammate, asked whether he needed one and he said he did, so I could also get to work. And, seeing as, while not that strong, he was bigger than me, I didn’t feel too bad for pointing out that I lack strength, have a hard time digging and do much better if I’m in a team where that’s not my task.
Didn’t directly ask him to keep digging, but I’m sure he got the message and the fact that, after having started to dig on his own, he then started passing me the shovel and we took turns even if I was struggling with those first few holes, meant that he wasn’t willing to do more. So I also said that I’d be very happy if we’ll get to 30 trees and he seemed to agree, and when at 10:30, so after just about 45 minutes, we had nine, that estimate seemed quite accurate, considering the fact that we assumed we’ll get slower as we’ll tire and it’ll get warmer. However, what ended up happening was quite the opposite, since it then got cloudy and colder, remaining so from then on, and the ground also became softer and the grass and roots much less of a problem, so digging became much easier and my teammate kept at it for a while, digging several holes and saying he was starting to enjoy it while I couldn’t even keep up with him when I just had to plant the saplings. And the situation was quite similar, just the other way around, when we did switch again. It stopped being so easy for a moment, so he struggled a little with a hole and then I struggled more with one, but otherwise I saw how easy it was as well and could dig without problems.
During the first part of our shift, we talked a fair bit, with me likely saying more than my teammate did, which was odd but at least meant I felt quite comfortable. But I was obviously even more comfortable when digging was much easier and we just got our heads down and kept working, mostly silently. What was uncomfortable was that I had a fair bit of gas and obviously had to hold it in, which also increased the pressure in the other, more troubling, way as well, since I hadn’t been able to go in the morning. And then I of course also had to pee more and more, but just as that was approaching an unbearable level and I was wondering how to say I had to take a break for it, and whether I’ll be able to just take care of that without the other as well, since I was starting to get cramps but really didn’t want to have to use the sort of toilets available there for that, it was my back that was the first to actually make me stop. That pain sometimes caused by that bone spur, radiating from my chest to my throat and mouth, suddenly appeared as I was planting saplings while my teammate was again digging, and I wasn’t able to sort it out while continuing to work, so when it became too bad I stood up and tried to rather gently snap my back for a while. I had limited success, but tried to work a bit more, until the total level of pain and discomfort caused by this and those pressing needs became really unbearable.
At that point I probably rather suddenly stood up again, said I had to make a pit stop and pretty much marched away, across the field, through the line of bushes separating it from the area where the gathering place was and straight to the toilets that were some way away from it. Then, after peeing and also releasing some of that gas, I made my way to that gathering area, to grab two packs of biscuits, my teammate having mentioned wanting to look for something to eat as well. What was strange, and troubling, was that, while at previous events of this sort there had been a way to wash hands, now when something like that would have been even more needed I could only see bottles of disinfectant, so I had to make do with using one of those and then returned to the planting area, handing one of the packs to my teammate and eating the other, doing my best to not touch the biscuits with my hands.
According to the schedule we had been sent, the first shift was supposed to work until noon, but it was also supposed to start at 9 AM and we had been 45 minutes late for that, so if you also add the fact that we were supposed to be given a sandwich and left to eat and drink for a while after we’ll finish working, it came as no surprise when the coordinator for the group arriving by bus, who was helping with the row next to ours at that point, said that the bus was going to leave around 2 PM. But my teammate hadn’t arrived with it, and after going back to count how many we had planted and saying 34, and asking whether I was all right, to which I replied that I was fine and had just needed that pit stop, it was he who surprised me by saying that in that case his job there was done and left. Since it was 12:05 PM, I guess he meant to stick to the initial schedule, probably having other things to do.
So I was left on my own, but it was still easy to dig and, trusting his count, set my mind on planting six more, to get to 40. And I was doing that when the guy who I guess was the forester tasked to help us came to also ask whether I was all right and to tell me to just leave the shovel after the last sapling I’ll plant when I’ll want to stop, so the second shift will know where to continue from, also saying that the bus was going to leave around 2 PM but I could stop whenever I wanted when I said I came on the bus and was obviously going to leave whenever it will. And those from the second shift did stick to the initial schedule, since they were supposed to start at 12:30 PM and had gathered for the brief training just as I was finishing with those six saplings and went back to count… Only to find that I had 39, meaning that there had been 33 when my teammate left. It’s possible that I missed one, maybe the really small one I know we planted, but I counted twice, looking even more carefully on the way back, and the result was the same, so I planted one more, then left the shovel as I had been told and, at 12:40 PM, made my way back to the gathering area.
Had considered working until 1 PM, but on the one hand the next “milestone” would have been 45 and I didn’t think I’ll be able to plant five more in 20 minutes, and on the other I couldn’t spot any of the others from the bus when I looked around when I stopped, and that impression was proven correct after I took the sandwich, since as I was eating it I heard the coordinator say that just two were still missing. So I said that in that case it seems the bus will leave before 2 PM after all and she said yes, since everyone seems to want to leave. And those last two, who in fact were the same two who were the last to arrive in the morning, also came moments later, and after a little more time spent waiting for one who had decided to check out the nearby park, we were told to head to the bus, so I had to hurry to finish that sandwich and didn’t just forget to try to leave the vest, but even forgot the dirty gloves in my pockets, instead rushing to grab a tea, putting a teabag in a cup of cold water since I couldn’t spot the hot water and couldn’t get myself to ask where it was, and another pack of biscuits. And I drank that “tea” while following another guy to the bus, with only those last two and the coordinator behind us. Also opened the biscuits on the way and started eating when I got to the bus, but with everyone else already in I actually ate them after getting in the bus as well, putting my mask back on after I was done.
Either way, the coordinator didn’t come with us on the way back, telling the driver that the same 13 people were on and to just leave us back at Victory Square. And, speaking of the 13 people, the bus had 20 seats, including the driver’s and the one at the door, so if you also add the coordinator, it means there were a maximum of 18 seats available, and preferably 17, and if someone failed to show up, as it seemed in the morning, it means that the number of people saying that they needed transportation had been close to the maximum they had allowed for.

Don’t have the exact time, but it was around 2 PM when we got off the bus, and then I went to get two more pizzas from that place that’s close to Victory Square, to use the last of the points I had on that card. I checked even the night before and it still didn’t say that they were about to expire, but I wasn’t going to push my luck even more, seeing as they’re supposed to be valid for one year, were charged on November 20 last year and should have in fact expired last December, even the fact that they were added to dad’s physical card at all being the result of them working something out for me at that point because I didn’t have their app, the amount I had won for doing that survey normally requiring it in order to be used. There’s still a small amount left, the points which dad had gathered the few times he had used that card, which had expired by the time I contacted them for that other matter and which they also added back at that time, or in fact two days later, but the pizzas I got added up to exactly what was left from what I had won and couldn’t find another combination I wanted that’d get closer to the full amount and didn’t care to go over it and pay the difference, which would have also raised the question of leaving a tip, so I left that there, and if it’ll expire then so be it.
Getting to what actually happened while I was there, the experience was rather unpleasant. The person who should be at the door wasn’t there when I walked in, but another waiter came to ask what I wanted pretty much as soon as I opened a menu, so I told him, and also that I meant to pay with that card, but also said that I was going to have another look and he seemed to ignore that, quickly walking away with the card, just when another waiter also came and I told him I had already ordered. Though I’m not quite certain, I think he smirked at that, but it was when the one who should be at the door got back that things became really awkward, since I was slowly making my way to the bathroom, meaning to pee again and also wash a little, being quite aware of how I looked, when she “intercepted” me, asked rather incredulously whether I wanted to sit at a table and when I said I had ordered to go she asked me to wait outside or by the door. It did strike me that nobody had even asked to see my certificate, which should be required to even enter such a place, but I just said that I knew I looked rather odd and had just returned from planting trees, to which she made no other comment. It did seem like she wanted to say something else when I stood just by the door, pretty much in front of her, but I didn’t want to go outside and that was the other option I had been given, after all, so I just told her that I was first waiting for the card to be returned and then mostly looked outside while I waited, and she didn’t actually say anything else. And that waiter didn’t return my card first, as it had happened when I went there after the marathon, so we both waited awkwardly until he came with the pizzas. But at least that didn’t take long and he made a point of being particularly polite.
That still left me needing to pee and wash, but I was using the metro, so I got to Obor quickly enough for the situation to not be that desperate just yet, allowing me to first check that Auchan and grab some trash bags, leaving my backpack in a cabinet but taking the pizzas with me when I went in, since they didn’t fit. Then I passed through the market, having a quick look through a part of it and finding someone with cheap green onions, but deciding to leave that for later and making my way to that Carrefour. Once there, I used two cabinets to store everything, since the only way to make both the pizzas and the backpack fit in one would have been to put the backpack on top and I obviously didn’t want to do that, then rushed to the toilet before going in. And the only interesting thing I found were cheap eggs, so I checked the whole pile one by one and found exactly ten with code one that weren’t cracked, those being the only thing I bought.
Then I also went to that Kaufland, finding a lane for those going straight to the hypermarket and another for the rest, someone scanning the certificates of those using this second one, which hadn’t been the case before. The issue is that you must use this second lane to put things in the cabinets or go to the bathroom, and when the guard saw me juggling pizzas and a bag of eggs while trying to get my certificate out he waved me through, though after putting everything in a cabinet I made a point of showing him the certificate before going in. Just got a cabbage and some onions though, then I believe I went to the bathroom again, though I think I went, albeit just to wash my hands, before going in as well. Either way, I then also got the last salt and poppy pretzel they had at that place that’s also there and left, the guy who gave it to me just taking the receipt and throwing it away as soon as it was printed.
Decided to give up on the green onions when I again passed through the market, but didn’t also give up on another cake from that place I found across the road. I was wondering whether it was still open, since it hadn’t been after the marathon, but it’d have been strange for them to close when they just recently opened, so I went to have another look and did find them there. Still didn’t get a receipt, and admittedly a sign asks customers to ask for one, which might imply that they won’t give it automatically, though they obviously should. But they don’t even have a sign with the place’s name, nor did they completely take down the one of the exchange office that used to be there, so I asked what the name was and was told something, and that they’ll put up a sign soon.
After that, I got back on the metro and got back here, walking in at 5:20 PM. Then I threw what I had on me into the washing machine, though I forgot about the things that were in the backpack, ate the remaining quince, took a bath, hung the laundry to dry, and eventually made the salad, having it alongside one of the pizzas for dinner. No, I didn’t have the cake that evening, because I was quite down, feeling that I hadn’t pulled my weight during the event and had attended mainly to check that box again, for my own benefit, and much less for a cause, so I set my mind on cleaning the stove top two days later, if dad will remove it again, having the cake and the second pizza then, because that sort of effort was going to make me feel that I deserved a reward.

This is by far the most I’ve “cheated” with a post so far. To post an unfinished post before midnight and add the rest later isn’t unusual, but that normally happens when I can’t quite finish it by midnight, so what’s added later is a matter of lines, or at most a few paragraphs. This time, however, it was just a first part that got posted Sunday evening, before midnight, then I added some more before going to bed that night, then some more Monday afternoon, yet another part a few hours later, and finished it before going to bed that night, so in the early hours of Tuesday. Really doesn’t seem right, but didn’t want to split it, and didn’t have slots left for that anyway. But yes, since I’m writing this in the early hours of Tuesday, just before going to bed, I’ll add that I did wash that stove top this evening, and just now had that second pizza. But, of course, as so many others, that’s a matter for yet another post I have no idea when or if I’ll get to write…