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Mold School

The office where I work has never been a thing of beauty. There was the time we had a freak rainstorm and the place nearly flooded. Then there was that spring where the floors were crawling with millipedes. The power goes out probably once a month, which became only a minor irritation after the generator was installed. Its freezing in the summertime and cold in the wintertime. And a few weeks back, a rattle in the plumbing shook the office with bone-jarring noise.

The latest addition to the office is … mold. I’ve been reading up on mold, using sites like North Carolina, the CDC, and the EPA. In any office or home, mold is present. Its a natural part of the environment. Only when it begins to sprout legs and crawl across the ceiling does it become a problem. And its been a problem for a while now. A few ceiling tiles have always been a bit moldy. Most people who work in this office have had (or are having) headaches and sinus problems. This winter, I spent a few weeks on antibiotics to chase the moldy buggers out of my head. Sneezes happen frequently. Eyes burn. It’s nasty.

Lately its gotten worse. The rattling pipes have shaken some stuff loose in the ceiling space, which has left a growing line of water stains on the ceiling tiles. There is a large growth of mold on four or five tiles. My fix-it nature drives me to take a look up there, but I don’t dare without a respirator and gloves. Or maybe a full-body suit.

The office landlord has been notified and has promised to look into it. I hope he gets someone out here before we all get carted off by this alien fungus. Only time will tell if we survive or if we …. ARRRRGGH fjkl.;23462k,obmj