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Walking the Route, Another Awkward Conversation, Leaving Runs for Later

As I was saying, walked the route of the half marathon yesterday to avoid the risk of rain… And ended up rained on anyway. It was sunny and actually felt hot, I saw no reason to take my jacket with me for later, but then a dark cloud came. I could see the end of it in the direction I was walking and hoped it’ll either spare the area completely or at least wait until I’ll get there, but all of a sudden the wind really picked up and it started pouring, and I think there was some little hail as well. That happened when I was just reaching Alba Iulia Square, so far enough to get rained on for quite some time if I’d go back but having walked far too little to be of any use, making me decide to just push on to Unirii and then, if it’d still rain like that, use that found metro card to get back from there, and then use either it or dad’s some other day to continue from there. But when I was about three quarters of the way there the rain lessened greatly, so I kept going and by the time I pretty much reached the end of the cloud, at Izvor Park, there were just a few drops, which went away as well after a bit, as I turned right after the park.
Not that my plans hadn’t gotten a bit messed up from the start. It first happened before actually getting up, since I went to pee after waking up at one point, meant to get back to sleep but took a long time to manage to do so, and I think just a few minutes after finally falling asleep again, at 12:12 PM according to my phone, I was woken up by it ringing, somebody doing a survey about medical services. Knowing I definitely won’t get back to sleep again if I’ll sit there and answer, said I can’t spare the time to answer at the moment, even apologized, and did manage to get a bit more sleep before finally getting up a little before 2 PM. But then, despite meaning to leave around the same time I had the day before, or at least no later than 4:30 PM, it was just a few minutes before 5 PM when I finally went out the door… And some 25 minutes later I was leaving again, since I took the paper and cardboard, this time using this bin that appeared across the road, and one larger box was too big to fit in the bag along with the rest even folded, which led to me not remembering what I had done with my hands and whether I had locked the door. Of course, so far I never forgot to lock, but since I was worrying about it as I crossed the road to go back where the route turns around and I was going to pass by this street again, I decided to check. And since I was here also took the opportunity to pee again, that tea doing its job even if it is rather annoying. This meant I needed to go just two more times as I walked the route, once in Izvor Park and the second time as I got back to Victory Square. This last time was unpleasant though, since the toilet was clogged, with the shit on top of the toilet paper stuffed in there.
About the route itself, the problems are those I knew, short but steep climbs on Berzei, before crossing Stirbei Voda, and on Ion Campineanu, before getting back on Victoriei, but that entire first part, until the end of Victoriei, at about 9.3 km, is quite technical. Since the route now turns left after the start, there’s a tiny climb right away, which wouldn’t really be notable elsewhere but should be approached carefully there at the start. Then, after turning right after the park, it’s somewhat up and down all the way to Victory Square, with that notable climb I already mentioned, and if they’ll again only close a part of that road it’ll likely be too narrow for the number of people running together so early in the race. After Victory Square, on Kiseleff, it should be fine, and it’s interesting that now we turn a bit before the end, but after returning to Victory Square it’ll get narrow again, and again a bit up and down. As we take that small “detour”, on Stirbei Voda, before turning on Ion Campineanu, the road slopes downwards quite noticeably, so that’s nice, but what goes down must go back up, and it takes way more effort to climb that slope than you may spare by going down the other. We’ll be going down again at the end of Victoriei, so that’s another little bit that must be taken advantage of, but after that it’ll pretty much be a matter of endurance.
There’s still that area around the fountains at Unirii, which I recall is a choice between the shortest route and not climbing a bit, but I couldn’t really have another look now because there was an event there in the evening, workers setting things up when I passed the first time and the area being completely full of people the second time. Could have probably still passed through, both times, but I was worried somebody’ll say something the first time and the second time I couldn’t have seen the road anyway, so the first time I walked on the other side of the fountains and the second I went around the park, to avoid the crowd. And another spot I couldn’t see well enough was on Decebal, where they’re working, I think building a parking lot, and trashing the green space in the process of course, so I didn’t go on that side of the road at all and there are some nets put up on the other too. Did see that at least one lane is closed, with the heavy vehicles there, and in a spot that’s extended for one more, so it remains to be seen how they’ll separate, since we’ll be passing by that spot both ways. It’ll likely get tight, but we’ll first enter that area after some 13.5 km and leave it the second time when we’ll approach 18, so at least that second time space may not be that much of a problem anymore.
Putting it all together, considering getting back that time, going around that crowd, crossing where I could cross, and also having a look through that Carrefour at Unirii, ended up walking some 25 kilometers, more if you add wandering around that Carrefour, and got back at 10:35 PM. And actually did find some of those mushrooms, in fact only one sixth instead of one quarter more expensive than they used to be, and actually produced in Romania too, so bought that single package that was like that, the others being either only packaged here, with imported mushrooms, or imported directly as a package, all three kinds being thrown together as the same product and with the same price, as it tends to happen with these.

Otherwise, I’ll leave this week’s two runs for another post, but will mention here that after Thursday’s run I went to Auchan, catching the free bus. Didn’t take those bottles and cans with me, and it’s a good thing I didn’t, since the recycling machine is indeed still there but when I looked it again wasn’t working. Either way, got a few things I knew I was going to buy from there, plus a banana bought to test myself, since they’re what’s recommended to be eaten during a run and they do offer pieces at the refreshment points but I can’t stand the texture, struggle with any larger piece in a fruit salad and the one time I was pressed into eating one, when I was little, I immediately threw up, so I haven’t touched any of those. But could eat this one after getting back, so I’m going to try during the race as well.
Walked back from there, to go to that store I bought that bucket of bio (organic) yogurt from for less, and bought another one. No price label, so had to ask, but it was the same, and in fact they seemed to have more this time. Two were visible, and the one on top was expiring on May 8, which I was unhappy with, but had decided to get it anyway, yet the person selling pulled another one out from somewhere else and handed it to me, and that had the date listed as May 14. Of course, still got no receipt, and still didn’t point it out. It was just after 2 PM when I got back, just as a few drops of rain started falling.
Shaved my head and showered after getting back, and dad came while I was shaving my head and started making mamaliga, which rather threw a wrench in my plans, since I do find myself in that situation that’s unusual for me, of needing to control my weight and even lose some, since I definitely want to be under 50 kg for the race without needing to lose anything, and in fact likely gaining a bit, over the last few days before it, and had gained a couple between the week’s two runs. So I meant to go to bed after showering and hanging the clothes out to dry… But then hit my head as I was hanging those clothes, which I have actually done quite a few times, though I haven’t mentioned it on here. Normally I just lightly hit myself when that happens, but this one was harder, could quickly see a small lump, and when I asked dad if he knew where the ice cubes ended up, since he shoved a lot of meat at the front of the freezer, he said he didn’t and apparently didn’t even understand why I was asking, since when I said I’d rather not go to bed then after that, he again asked what happened and was surprised when I told him. And I couldn’t find those ice cubes even when I did look, taking that meat out and then struggling to get it back in, so no idea what happened with them. But at least that meant I mixed something with what he made and ate again then, and then didn’t eat at night, actually being in bed before 3 AM, after having only gotten about one hour of sleep that morning.

Speaking of dad, there of course was that awkward moment after he came back from church with the “light”. I had finally cleaned my room, after who knows how long, that day, last Saturday, finished the book, and at night, since he only got back around 12:45 AM, I meant to wait a little longer for him to either go to bed or at least get the message that I won’t crack an egg with him, as he always asks. But at 1:15 AM I did go to the kitchen, and he immediately asked from the living room what was I doing, then came to say he’ll also be eating then and pointed out he took out the red eggs, after I said that I usually eat at that time, so I said I didn’t care about the eggs and I’ll get back after he eats, then went back to my room and just sat in the dark for a bit… Only for him to apparently also go back to the living room, so I went to pee and took out the bread from the freezer, then went again back to my room… And soon heard him ask what was I doing and whether I was busy, to which I replied I’m not busy and I’m trying to avoid him. I went out of my room to say that, he asked why was I avoiding him, I said in order to avoid being asked to crack eggs… And he promptly asked just that. So, of course, things got really awkward and frustrating, as they always do.
Seriously, what’s so hard to understand in the fact that asking someone to take part in a tradition related to a religion implies pushing that religion upon that person? And when that person is also against traditions and customs in general, and most definitely against nationalism, even taking it as a typical custom of the country and somehow trying to argue away the religious significance, as he tries to do by saying he doesn’t ask me to also say those words and doesn’t say his part out loud, still forces me into things I oppose. So I did ask whether he wanted that awkward conversation again, but he just asked why and kept repeating his piece while I repeated mine, albeit not too well, since it does involve actually talking. Did make me burst out laughing when he said “it’s not like you’re a Pagan” at one point though, making me remind him what I asked him to list me as at the census, but that just led to him saying that he understood from me at the time that it means I actually know more about more religions, not that I’m bigoted, which I must add was a weird choice of term, and reject anything having to do with it, because he won’t like that. Well, I don’t think it matters in any way what he likes or doesn’t like.
Still, he took an egg, saw that the color was coming off on his fingers, took a tissue to wrap it in and started wiping it a bit, fussing with it as we exchanged a few more words along those lines. Did keep thinking of pointing out that I don’t ask him to do anything for Beltane, for example, but that’d have just been wrong when I barely even spare it a passing thought anymore and am too agnostic to be able to fairly bring anything of the sort in as an argument, only still saying that in case something of the sort does exist, then it may perhaps be vaguely in the general direction of Neopaganism, the other belief systems I’m aware of quite clearly not being options from where I’m standing. So I instead repeated another one of my usual lines in these conversations, asking what he’d do if, for example, a Muslim would ask him to respect one of their traditions, and he started saying he’d never follow that religion, never go to one of their “churches” or call to Allah, making me just stand there smirking, but then he said that if he’d just be asked to do something without making it into an actual religious act, he would. Just raised an eyebrow, resisting even the urge to point out that the Christian God and Allah are the same being, or even that their “churches” are called mosques.
After a bit more of that, he just sulked, but remained on the aggressive side of passive-aggressive when he said I may not do it in that case, and I just picked an egg, thinking this would just drag on for days otherwise. Then, after we got it over with, he mentioned that my mother called and said that it was raining and windy there and someone brought two candles for them and they both went out just at the gate, and then they tried to light one from a passing man and made his go out as well. I guess he was trying to make some point, and I’m sure she had spelled it out when saying that, her belief in being cursed in some way and needing to cling on to religion and fight against what pushes God away, but he didn’t spell it out and I basically just ignored him, and he moved on to talking about the eggs, saying he’ll make a salad with them, so they’ll be eaten in a reasonable amount of time, as if he expected me to not touch the eggs at all, which would be weird. Then we talked a bit about eggs, having to explain why I won’t eat eggs at night and him still not caring, and he eventually said he’ll take his food to the living room, I went back to my room for a bit, then returned once the kitchen was clear.

That did seem to take a toll on me, since I had really fucked up dreams that morning. There was something about being forced to go back to school by my parents, which of course terrified me completely. Was banging my head against a wall and clawing at my face in the dream and checked my face when I woke up, finding that it was quite fine, though my balls were a bit raw, after I guess having scratched a fair bit. Then there was something about a polar bear in a building and everyone trying to run from it while remaining in the building, going up, and needing to take a position next to something they could drink from for some reason. There were a lot of things water was coming from but I was unable to claim any as my own since others, usually seeming to be younger teens or even children, kept swarming around me and spitting on those things when I wanted to stand next to them, so I couldn’t drink out of them and they’d get them instead. And then, of course, something about computer problems, the computer rebooting on its own and then everything being different and me not knowing how to get back what I had.

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