This is more of a report on unpleasant surroundings and an exploration of potential dangers, research, that is, than an actual complaint. The immediate environment I just moved into has a bad case of mold and mildew and who knows what else. It smacks you in the face walking in the door and is visible in every room of the home. It has, in less than a week, transferred itself on to my physical body because, alas, I am susceptible to fungal infections because I am borderline Type 2 Diabetic (and may have crossed that border this year but I am working hard on turning that around since seeing my last lab results).
Coming from the last place I lived where there was a mild-moderate mold problem that produced fungal infection for me after living there a few months in spite of continued cleaning and treatments, this place is kind of like poison for this body, alas, and the roommate is a great guy and the price is certainly right as it's free to stay here for at least the first month. I am slowly doing some cleaning, but I don't want to insult the guy nor do I want to overdose the place with caustic chemicals as he has a chronic cough (mild and mildew will do that, but chemicals will aggravate it in the short term).
He's a brilliant guy in many ways, including math and science, so his acceptance of the mold is puzzling, but he has likely gone nose-blind to it as he also accepts (and presents) more body odor and strong halitosis. I am far from a perfect person and by no means judge anyone, but I do feel the effects of the high level of mold and mildew already so I may not be able to get comfortable here. I still appreciate his generosity and hospitality more than words can say.
So I sit here with a runny nose, a slight sore throat and cough, an outbreak of fungal infection in an unpleasant area, and I've been reading...
The CDC and Prevention Magazine are pretty much in agreement that living with mold is not a healthy thing to do and clean-up is highly recommended. . Then there are the less scientific discussions all over the web as mold and mildew seem to be one of the topics people like to argue about a mock each other about. It is so sad that one of the most predominant aspects of the internet is this detached belittling and over-personalization of opinions and outright hostility that has come out in online social interactions, but that is an actual complaint and not the subject of this particular blog entry.
I suppose it is to be expected that political websites will have empty opinions from people who don't know what they are talking about, but exhibit the typical heightened fears or know-it-all attitudes so common to political discussions on the web. Websites dedicated to mold and mildew seem to agree with the science and I'd expect professionals to insist money should be spent on a mold problem. That ain't happening here except for the cleaning products I will buy.
The symptoms websites are not happy places for me as I have developed several (6.5 out of 8) of the symptoms listed here and at least 9 of 14 of symptoms listed here since moving in here last week. Most were present in lesser severity as they came and went at the other place. So this place is most likely just temporary housing for me.
I am still doing my best to maintain positivity but am more concerned now that I've educated myself. I need to spend as little time in this space as possible and that means going out to wifi places to do my job searching during the day and that means not being able to sit in comfort and that means increase other issues and all in all, I'm not feeling too good physically or psychologically right now.
Snap out of it, fool, it's better than the car or forest or street.
I think. (self-mockery for the save :)
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