mold. :(

I really, really hate it.

We've had problems with our basement apartment being too damp for months now, and we've been trying to combat the mold on the walls for a while. We wipe down the windows, we clean with 20% vinegar, we have three dehumifidiers, and we run an electric heater throughout the night. But when I found some mold on my floor,on my clothes, and and ruining three different purses, I knew I had been defeated. It was time to call in the landlady, whose previous not-so-helpful advice has been "open the windows!" in freakin' February.

Last week I left my keys with her so she could see the damage in the corner and behind the giant wardrobe. Imagine my shock when she not only cleaned the mold, but rearranged my room and its contents. For instance, she apparently didn't like my organizational system for shoes (which involves having the shoes in the spaces specifically designed for that purpose in my wardrobe)and removed the shoes to put them into a suitcase, thus freeing up wardrobe space for random odds and ends, like my external hard drive. Weird.

She also apparently missed the mold growing on the purses I left out for her to see, and she took all my gloves (which had been in a box with all my other cold-weather gear) and placed them inside one of the purses -- and then proceeded to hang the moldy purse on the rack with my clothes. Ew.

So guess how I spent my weekend? :) Laundry and rearranging!

Apparently, this isn't such a weird occurrence in Hungary -- one of the girls told me about how their cleaning lady rearranges their things and even their furniture at will.

Fortunately, I'm not missing anything except for some empty boxes and a yoga mat, and she cleaned all the mold!

It's still snowing...I went into the city on Saturday, and people were sledding on the trails of Gellert Hill. Very cool. but I chose to spend my afternoon inside coffee heaven!