And now, for something completely different: Good news!

1. From the buzz of it, I'm not the only one who thinks that the over-100.000 stray dogs currently roaming the streets of Bucharest are an issue [esp. at night time, when in packs larger than 3-4]; the city's authorities, namely its Mayors, are/ have been [recently] talking this over with an eye on suggesting legislative changes in this respect: in particular insofar as the dogs' presumed owners are concerned, particularly those who allow them to roam the streets freely at night and commiserate in their predator-style packs. Very well, thinks me, this is a laudable initiative, and I can't but hope that it might instil some [even if only remote] social responsibility at a certain level.


2. My building's manager let me know, in a more than speedy shut of the door last night, that my downstairs neighbours will be moving out, Yay! No, seriously, this is awesome news for now, and I can't but hope that it will happen asap, as in any such situation the sooner is for the better. It's only been a week since their last shouting party now, and those certainly won't be missed.

3. All contents of my wallet except for the pecuniary bits have been retrieved and are now back in my possession, starting this evening. I haven't been told how did the fortunate event get to occur but I was thrilled to understand that I will be spared a bunch of [more] time, energy and money spent on getting my driver's license done all over again. And the joy extended upon sight of a bunch of other personal valuables. The new challenge? I will, as of Wednesday, own not one, but two ID cards! Doesn't that open a new world of possibilities right there, hé?

[to be continued..]

Yesterday's interaction with the authorities has been brief and unsatisfying; after the compulsory (?) 1h wait, I was sent back to procure 'the original' [i.e. a new document] certifying that my parents agree that I live in their house. And this, my friends, might not have been much of a big deal if the starting situation had been different. But as we stand, and as I've explained the lady behind the desk several times, it's the exact same office of the authorities that owns 'the original' certificate, which I had given them 4 years ago, for pretty much the same reason: new Id request. And yes, I find this absurd: Do legal acts stop producing legal effects once the original document had been archived? Because I'm not convinced by this point. If the time duration of the named certificate is unspecified, shouldn't this suggest that it produces legal effects until revoked? Or something along those lines?
Yes, I was angry. I still am, for that matter. And yes, this is still absurd to me.
Do tell if it makes more sense to you.

Identity-challenged

This is a time when I should be studying up grammar for my upcoming exam, and instead I'm here making notes of last week. But noted it needs be.
Having my identity challenged has been the supreme feat:
It all started on Sunday afternoon, when my wallet disappeared along the way between the florist's and my aunt and uncle's house. A 10 minutes walk which had been scrupulously scrutinised for the remainder of the afternoon and night. End-result: nothing. Nada. Zilch. Not once had I imagined I would be scooping rubbish bins that weekend, nor that it would amount to nothing once it happened.
Missing: my ID, driver's license, 2 debit cards, money for paying up the house's bills [yes, a significant amount], and a bunch of highly personal highly emotionally-charged memorabilia.

The next day came along with calls from unknown numbers, which I had missed, and kept regretting - thinking that they might have been from either the Police or some unknown benefactor who could've possibly found my stuff. But no; the truth surged on Tuesday, when it became clear that my family had been the one playing pranks on me. [no comment, really, as none's needed at this point.]

It was also on Monday that I found out that, whereas my passport is good enough to identify me for bank purposes for the Romanian Commercial Bank, that does not apply in the case of the Romanian Development Bank.
And then, the walks to the Police headquarters started: every day putting together one more piece of info, hoping that it might be the day I could submit my papers for having my ID redone. By the way, that didn't happen as yet, and I hope to be able to make it happen tomorrow.

In a different vein, this thread had also been pursed at my new workplace, where 'the System' [huh?!] couldn't process my data, therefore not allowing for my access to 'the System', therefore restricting my... well, everything: from owning a badge to help me move around to an account and its associated password, to everything else having to do with a normal employee's daily endeavours.
What's more, the team I've just joined had already had 2 other persons going by the same first name and the same nickname as myself. And being the newcomer meant struggling to find a different nick, which I dreaded and still do, as it drives me utterly insane. It's my name, okay?! This is how I've been called for years now, and I don't want to have to change that just because I'm the newest one in the department really. Does this make any sense to you? Yeah, to me neither.

By Friday afternoon, 'the System' was finally able to accept and start processing my existence and its implications for its working. But that didn't fully sort out my identity issues. More time, more creativity and more patience will be required for that.