Dag nabbit! My laptop crashed. My life line to the outside world.... it's been down for 4 days and I miss it already. I keep it on the kitchen table and it's usually at the center of my world. I'm not the only one complaining either. The kids have been whining because they can't play on Noggin while I'm cooking dinner-or doing whatever I usually do. I really hope that it isn't gone for good because I don't think that we can afford a new one right now & what's worse...I may lose all of my spring pictures. I always said I'd back them up but never got around to it. ARRGGGHH!
I'll just have to make time to sneak into Kosta's office and use the PC -like now.
Ok, on to what's going on...
Saturday we spent the day tearing out the closets in our bedroom. We suspected a mold problem and we were right. There was a lot of black mold on the back of the closets and on the wall. Can anyone guess why we've been so sick this year? Now we have all of the proof that we need. I called the pediatrician on Monday to let her know that we did, in fact, find black mold and if she needed to check the baby-since she still sleeps with me. Well, since she didn't have a cough or a rash( like last week) she said that as long as we take care of the problem we should all be ok. I don't know though, we were exposed to this for months...since September to be exact.
We've moved our mattress into the living room and kept it there since. We have to bleach the walls once more and then we'll move back into the bedroom. The kids really love having the mattress in the middle of the living room. It's perfect for acrobatic stunts and Alexandra is learning well. We've also let Iza & Foti sleep downstairs with us, so it's kind of like we're camping out in the living room. So, outside of the inconvenience of having the mattress in the middle of everything, it's kind of fun and I think that we'll miss it when things go back to normal.
So, outside of the everyday chaos we've got a little extra this week. I won't be online as frequent in the near future but hopefully, everything will work out. My time in the office is up.
This song has been in my head all week-it's definitely one of my favorites. I often listen to it when I feel crappy because I can't help but smile when I hear it.
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Cheryl...l-o-v-e the photos. I'm so darn envious. Crappy and cold here, a bit of snow coming down. I sure miss having you next door.
ReplyDeleteMy 'puter also took a dump last week. I thought I would die. Not only for the lifeline to the world, but all my freekin homework!
Sending kisses to each of you...and glad you found the mold so you can get rid of it! What a discovery!
Hey Bonster! I've been thinking of you a lot lately! I really miss having you next door too!
ReplyDeleteThe weather has been pretty crappy here also, they said that the whole week would be warm but it's been overcast and damp...uncomfortable.
About the computers- it's horrible to not have it. But, Mr. Wonderful aka Kosta fixed it! Hooray! But enough about me, I hope that you were able to finish your homework!
The mold-what a pain. We're still camping out in the living room-although Iza & Foti decided that they wanted to go back to their rooms.
I'll call you soon. Hug G & the kitties for us! Will call you soon.
Sorry to hear about all your woes. I hope you get it sorted out soon. As far as the mold is concerned it sounds like you've got a leak somewhere, pipes perhaps? I've had the same problem on a few ocasssions and it always involved water leaking in from somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThanks Craig, it's nice to have you here. Well, the laptop is fixed so we're thrilled about that.
ReplyDeleteAbout the mold-we were also hoping that we didn't have a leak. Thankfully, there isn't a leak but the closets were against a north wall that's exposed to all of the elements...there was less than an inch between the wall & the closets.The proximity to the wall + condensation + no light = perfect environment for cultivating mold. Those closets have been in the room for about 30 years. Now, they're gone! :)
C - As you know, my bedroom wall is molding because that wall faces the elements and there's no barrier. The water, sun and snow comes straight through the porous wall. So much for the claim of "insulation," which I knew was a lie from the start.
ReplyDeleteOur closets molding is the result of both a roof leak and the balcony tilting toward the house, allowing water to seep into the wall. Shoddy!
We camped in our living room at our last house, which was demeaning in itself but, as you pointed out here, quite fun for kids who visited us since they saw it as a trampoline.
Can also empathize with you with the laptop. Other than the two I had stolen, the HDD in the one I have now fried itself back in September and I was without it until just a few weeks ago. Backup is extremely important! Luckily, I had loaners and access to my fiance's PC.
I'll be thinking of you. :)
Glad to hear your computer is up and running and I definitely know what you mean about it being your lifeline. My whole attitude about spending long periods of time in Greece has dramatically improved with the advent of laptops and the internet. As for your mold, our Greek house was my husband's grandmother's house and is made of stone. The north walls have a perpetual problem with mold, especially between the cupboards and the walls where it is impossible to get to. It is a constant source of frustration to me, and I hope you have better luck than we've had getting rid of it. Just played raining men, and you're right - it put a smile on my face!
ReplyDeleteHey Kat!- About the mold-we talked to the previous owner and he said that there was an overflow years ago and that he had a problem once. Ah, I think that he just never did anything after the original flooding. (the water heater is above the bedroom)-so he just let the mold grow. I mean, you saw the photo of the inside of the closet...which is why I was instantly concerned once we moved in.
ReplyDeleteThe mattress is now back in my empty bedroom that has a lingering bleach smell. The doors are open all day every day so that we can air it out. It's nice to not have to sleep in the living room anymore.
The laptop-Kosta fixed it and actually was able to extract my files into another drive. Whew! I'm sorry that you've had 2 stolen. That really stinks. I can't imagine. I do have to get in the habit of backing everything up as soon as I load it. Hope that you're having a good week. :)
Laurie, Thank you!!I agree, having a link to the outside when you're not home is crucial. I love technology!
The mold, I know-it's quite common here and most of the locals and/or family members don't seem to understand how dangerous it can be for your health. We're throwing the closets out and a few people have expressed interest in them. Um, if we could save them, we would. I've been told..."ah, ine mono moukla...then mbirazi..." Anyway-not going down that road today. :) Have a great weekend!
Cheryl, I've been told exactly the same thing, followed by a "ti na kanoume, exoume igrasia." Of course, ti na kanoume is pretty much the answer to everything. The fatalistic, we have no control over our lives, approach.
ReplyDeleteOT, but once after attempting to follow a conversation in Greek between Zoe and Mama, I asked Zoe, "Who's that Tina Kano person anyway?"
ReplyDeleteLaurie,
ReplyDeleteLOL!!
You are so right!! I just don't bother trying to explain or elaborate anymore. It's a cultural difference that's hard for me to swallow. My husband explained that mold is part of life and also that it's not perceived to be horrible as long as you control it -since penicillin is made from mold. I've come to fully understand why Greek women are so obsessive about cleaning-it's necessary here. I have to clean 10x more and I hate it. Wah!!
Lulu-LOL!! you are so funny! Tina Kano! Wow, you must have thought that they had a lot of dirt on Tina!:)
I sure did. After all, they sounded so...animated! :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd in the same vein, I once asked about "Mrs. Zitas."
ReplyDeleteAw. I’m sorry about your laptop and photos, Cheryl. I remember when my PC crashed and I lost all my photos. It was awful. I had to go to my friends to get a copy. Good thing they have some of the photos. From then on, I learned to back up my files in a flash drive or in an online storage system.
ReplyDeleteHi Ruby, thank you. I didn't lose any photos as of yet and I do back everything now. I'm on my second laptop since this post, and I'm ready for a new one. Given the amount of photos I take, I burn through memory fast. I hope you're having a nice weekend. Thanks for visiting! :)
ReplyDelete