Attack of the killer mold

So the mold drama continues to unfold.
Last week, I reported that I had mold and that AFN (the EAGLE) said it was normal. I have had a few common questions come back to me as a result. For general consumption, here are the FAQ's of my mold issue.

Q: How do you know that you have mold?
A: Well, in a good portion of my hall and one wall of my bedroom, the bottom foot of the wall is no longer white. At first, it was just speckled with a light covering of light green. It is currently almost completely green with black spots in some places, with intermittent spots which show more white. Yeah, I would say it is now unmistakable.

Q: What are you doing about the mold?
A: Mostly, complaining to my management company. Also, complaining to anyone else that will listen, and worrying about whether I am having allergic reactions to the mold. Once, last week, I tried to clean some of it off on my own, vigilante style, but I gave up on that sometime last Thursday.

Q: What is your management company doing about the mold?
A: Mostly, ignoring my complaints. After the first time I brought it to their attention, someone came out to the apartment and kind of cleaned it off and then opened all the windows. I thought this was related to my complaint, and meant that I needed to keep the windows open, for air flow and all that. After my second round of calls to the management office, it turns out that, in fact, the windows had been opened for another reason altogether and the cleaning had been done prior to hearing from me, and they hadn't done anything except check out the situation after the first round of complaints.

Q: What?! Well, what are they going to do about the mold?
A: Absolutely nothing. Apparently, the mold is related to the boiler incident (from the first day... will that day never cease to haunt me?). Along with the mold, there's also major damage to the floors in the kitchen. Word on the street is that it has become an insurance issue, and the landlord can't even allow the management company to clean the mold off before the insurance company agrees to it. According to my Belgian colleagues, insurance claims can take upwards of three to six months to deal with in this country. As a result, I don't think the mold is going anywhere fast.

So, in conclusion, please hope for a quick end to my apartment search, so that I can get out of this ridiculous apartment. My throat and sinuses will thank you for it.
On a much brighter note, I got my first piece of mail today!! YAY! Thank you, Laura, for your awesome birthday card. A few days late, granted, but totally surprising and much appreciated (perhaps more for the unexpectedness).
Other than that, nothing major is going on. I am still stressed about the apartment hunt, but I have been hooked up with a relocation company, so hopefully it will be a swift process from here on out. Work is going well; it's about the same as it ever was, just with (slightly) shorter hours. I am busy finding flights around Europe for weddings (can you believe that there are flights between Brussels and London for 5,99 EUR? INSANE!)

Song of the Day: Starz in their Eyes, Just Jack (it's totally infectious, I can't get it out of my head)
http://www.justjackmusic.com/

Happy birthday to me

Today I welcomed in my late twenties with very little fanfare. After all, not really knowing anybody in Belgium yet, it's a little difficult to round up a crowd to go out and celebrate. But low key is cool too - and so I begin the new year with a Westmalle, a few Neuhaus chocolates, and BBC One - not too shabby, though not the best of years.
I would like to give a few shout outs to the lucky people all over the world who share my birthday - Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Nicole Kidman, Bob Vila, Lionel Ritchie, John Goodman, and Josh Lucas, among others. Also, a big shout out to my colleague Keith, who turns 35 today (and who still owes me at least one beer for that whole statue bet).
For those of you in Argentina (yeah, I don't know anyone in Argentina, but you never know) - happy Flag Day! And for those of you time travelling to 2007 from ancient Rome - happy Festival of Summanus! (Seriously, these were the best holidays I could find on June 20)
And for everyone else - enjoy the rest of my birthday and rise a glass to me, wherever you may be.

Song of the Day: Weird Al Yankovic, Happy Birthday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdsXQVQRWXM (the video's a little intense, but at least it doesn't involve any World of Warcraft characters dancing...)