JustPassingBy Victorious!

      Yesterday, I was put to the test against a four week old angry fungus in our upstairs refrigerator. Gloomily, I went to work right away but, at one point, I thought it wasn't safe to inhale anymore of its stench. As a result, I put the battle on a temporary hold to go buy a face mask from a nearby hardware store. But by the time I came back it was time for me to get ready for work.
       As I was driving, feeling the breeze on my newly shaven face, I let my imagination loose. In this daydream, I was picturing myself talking to a patient about a health condition and then, abruptly, I stop talking. Seeing this, my boss comes toward me asking if I was feeling alright and I tell her that I may need to be taken to the hospital. An ambulance is called.
      The patient starts getting nervous about what's happening before his eyes. All I can do is look straight down with my hands trying to hold my body together. I was taken to the back of the store where I proceed to tell my boss that the likely cause was a fungal exposure earlier in the morning. At this point, I was on my knees looking at the floor sweating and wincing at the pain. Then there's a quick visual shot through the perspective of the patient looking in. All these people in white lab coats speeding to the back asking each other what was going on. (Divert back to my perspective) I didn't want them to see me in a weak state so I started waving them away. The daydreaming had to stop here because I pulled up to my place of work. When I dream, I dream heavy.
      Today, it was round two. The smell of yesterday's coat of Lysol and really bad eggs entered through the tiny holes of the face mask as I opened the doors. My eyes were on the verge of tearing because of the rancidity. There was a black syrupy-like substance along with the fungus that lay congealed in a pool under the bottom fruit compartment. It may have once been the contents of a Heineken bottle or maybe it was syrup, I will never know. After an hour and one whole roll of Bounty paper towels, the battle was over and I stood in victory. Take that you stubborn alcoholic black fungal beast. Feeling uplifted and full of adrenaline, I stepped outside to mow the lawn.

JustPassingBy vs. The Fridge

       I've got some bad news. I just might find myself in a compromising health condition tomorrow as a result of helping out around the house. Today, I was given the responsibility of cleaning the upstairs refrigerator. The one that we emptied out and turned off before we set of for India in mid July. Convincingly enough, this fridge looks innocent on the surface with its artificial flowers draping over the top and family memorabilia scattered throughout the front. Then you open the door and take a curious peek inside only to see what hell crapped out of its butt-hole.
       I was hit square in the face with a pungent smell that I couldn't identify. In utter disgust, I searched for the source of this repugnant odor. Actually, searching wasn't really required at all, the source couldn't have been more apparent. The bottoms of both the fridge and freezer, which were once cream white, are now black. I've seen white fungus on food that we kept in the fridge for too long but this is the first time I've seen black spores enjoying the chill. So, I put on gloves and went to work with three different types of cleaning sprays but it wasn't enough to mask the stench. To tell you the truth, I was afraid that I'll spray the fungus with Lysol and anger it. In my mind, the fungus will then proceed to come alive, take shape, and proceed to ruin my day.
      For preventative measures, I realized my best plan of action would be to buy a face mask so I don't breath any more of this into my respiratory system. Fortunately, by the time I came back, it was time to get ready to work. So tomorrow, I will be finishing what I started with undeniable confidence. But if tomorrow's post title states: "There is mold inside me," you'll know that the fridge won.