A very passable impression of Mildew Manor
So, remember that the Big Move was this past Monday? Well, THERE IS STILL MOVING TO DO, Gawd help me. Today I hired a couple of guys to take out my heavy furniture and put it in the dumpster, because let’s face it, the particleboard bookcases are just not worth keeping, now that they’ve gone all soggy and rotten on the bottom. And the sofabed/loveseat is a) emerald green b) faded c) excruciating to sit on, so out it goes. And what did those nice young men do, other than cost me $60 (well, in fairness they agreed to do it for $20 apiece, but then one of the new twenties literally flew out of my pocket when I pulled out my keys and was claimed by the sky gods, as it was entirely THAT KIND of a day if you know what I mean)?
They broke my only working lamp, for which I did not have a replacement bulb. And the switch was neatly snapped off as well.
So, that put an end to my plan to sift through the rubble on the floor and look for things I needed to keep. Which is awkward, because the carpenter who lives next door is desperate to get his hands on the place and start renovating, motivated in large part by the fact that there’s a pianist on his other side (I don’t even have the vivacity to make a dirty joke at this point, CAN YOU SEE HOW STRESSFUL THIS HAS BEEN?) and he’s tired of being woken up by construction at 7:30 Monday to Friday and Beethoven at 7 on Saturday and Sunday. As Fran Lebowitz would doubtless say, if he wished to be awakened by Beethoven, he would sleep with Beethoven.
All of which is to say that his plan to rip up the carpet tomorrow is going to have to wait until 10 at the earliest, lunch most likely.
And now, the horrifying pix! Yes, direct to you from Mildew Manor, we present:
Mildew-O-Rama!
Behold, mold!
Behold Mold 6
Behold Mold 4
Behold Mold 3
Behold Mold 7
Behold Mold 2
raincoaster 
grosssssss
and tiresome. If I never smell that smell again it’ll be too soon.
The construction guys told me the entire space above my apartment was full of water, because my apartment is underneath a big patio, and it was leaking the whole time.
Any comments from the condo corp on your longterm health issues that may (just may) have been related to/resulting from the mould and mildew that permeated your residence? Any comment at all?? Hmmm??
Jeebus. Makes you want to gargle bleach. My sympathies to your lungs.
Mildeeeeeew. No wonder you keep getting sick. Let’s hope that clean country air does you good.
Nope. I was always just told “the building envelope work will fix it” and that has been delayed and delayed and delayed for years. Now that it’s happening, it’s just too late to convince me to stay. I can’t live in that a single moment.
The construction guys themselves were telling me to take pictures.
I cannot wait to get that high country desert air into my lungs. And I cannot wait to be out of this place. Just a few more hours now.
I’m with The Sister on this. Mold is a known health risk. I’m deeply concerned about long term health issues of breathing mold spores for such a prolonged period of time. This isn’t over if you develop health issues later on. Sign nothing in the order of waivers. Take as many images as you can. Get as many supportive letters from neighbors whose palaces are also moldy as you can get.
Oh, I’m not signing any goddam waivers, not while there are as many people talking lawsuit as there are at the co-op. I hope to borrow an iphone and do a 360 degree spin around the living room, which is EVEN WORSE THAN WHEN THESE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN, and also tour around the outside of the place, taking shots of the mold in the fiberglass insulation, which is now revealed since they took the stucco off.
Desert air will help SO much. I aim to unpack each box on the deck, wipe the contents, and then bring it inside. Yeah, I expect the unpacking process to take a couple of years for sure.
Was that a picture of Jebus on your wall? Jalepeno!!!! Praise Jebus!
No, it’s Chinatown. The Buddha went on a diet.
Holy crap! That is a lawsuit waiting to happen. I hope you and your lungs are ok. Seriously.
My lungs have improved ever since I started travelling, in fact, and my doctor says lungs are very resilient. But just let them TRY and keep any of my share purchase because of damage to the apartment. LET THEM TRY… it will be hair on the walls.
A highly qualified legal advocate I know says they have hands-down the worst lawyer in the city and have never won a lawsuit since they were incorporated in the late seventies.
Housewarming prezzie?
Delightful. I can smell the tang of the sea and the scent of fear.