I sold the microwave! To a rusty gentleman in a temporary stay complex.

I’m in LA. Now all I have to do is cool my heels, plan the route, and wait for Fritz to get here! It looks like my original route is the worst possible choice, going through many mountain ranges. The best options are: north through Salt Lake and Wyoming on HWY 80 OR south past the Grand Canyon, Albequerque, and then up through Tulsa Oklahoma.  I’m leaning towards the second option, partly because its warmer, and partly because I’ve always made fun of Tulsa and I owe it an apology.  Also, it would be nice to show Fritz the Grand Canyon!

It seems that the ear problem is a mysterious low grade infection not so mysterious histamine reaction that appeared when I went back in my place. Hmm… and the mold is totally harmless, right? This is good news

There’s a bangar rally in the UK that makes the participants drive from England to Mongolia - it’s called the Mongol Rally - and that could be the ultimate road trip.

But we know that it isn’t.

It may be exotic, it may be exciting, and hey it’s transcontinental! But no trip can be compared to the iconic USA cross-country road trip. The mid-west Americana, the deserts of Nevada and Utah, the abandoned petrol stations… the classic scenery that everybody raised with a television set grew up with in so many movies. The hot babe in sunglasses - Gillian - and the underdog hero in denim and boots - well… me. From Sunset Boulevard to Wall Street, from Jane’s Addiction to Beastie Boys, from film land to tv city. Nothing… no Mongol Rally, no Paris Dakar, no Wall of China, nothing can be compared to the experience of crossing the USA by car.

Wanna make it more exciting? We’re on a mission!

We’ll rent a trailer and move all the things from Gillian’s condo in Las Vegas, infested by killing mold and take it all to New York. Also we’re very short on money and we’re going to CouchSurfing - not only to save money, but because we’re a cool couple who love to meet new people

So here’s the plan: February 9 I arrive in LA, I meet my beloved girlfriend and we spend the night in the city. Maybe the next day as well. Then we drive to Las Vegas and we pack all her things, we clean the house, try to get rid of the black mold and shut it down. That would take a couple of days. Then we’ll spend Valentine’s in Vegas and have a fabulous time together - alone. From that we’ll go to Utah, maybe see the Grand Canyon, then Denver, Omaha (or Kansas City in the event of a blizzard), Chicago (where we’ll spend a couple of days), Oklahoma Cleveland, and then splendid New York.

So if you wanna host us, those are the cities we’re looking for a couch: Denver, Omaha/Kansas City, Chicago, and Oklahoma Cleveland or anywhere in between! Check out our ROUGH map [anything can change ;)]

We’ll see you soon! x

Fritz and I are about to embark on an epic journey across country on short notice with little resources. There’s a little more about me and why I’m leaving in the “Who What Why When Where” section, and why I’m doing this. For now, I have other things to take care of in Las Vegas that require some attention.

* Saying goodbye to my boss and helping him finish up his records.
* Getting some more clothes out of the condo, safely, and washing them.
* Moving a few more things into storage.
* Posting my furniture for sale on Craigslist.
* Withdrawing from school
* Finding a place to cool my heels until Fritz arrives on February 9th.

I am so grateful that Fritz is coming to help. You never realize how vulnerable you are when you live alone until things like this happen. The health problems that the toxic mold in my condo caused are only really scary when you consider that if I had gone into anaphylactic shock in my home, nobody would have known. At this point, while I can surely run into my condo and grab some things to clean while wearing some sort of low-tech hazmat suit, it’s hard for me to justify taking the risk to do it alone.

If anyone is interested, there is more information on the nasty stuff here.

Articles on toxic mold in New Orleans with some information about mold:
http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/katrinadata/mold.asp
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9505817/

Interestingly, the NRDC article classifies indoor toxicity at above 1300 spores per cubic meter. My airborne test results came back at nearly 23,000 spores per cubic meter!

Official CDC Page on the subject is here.  Their current opinion is that the links between health problems and toxic mold are either rare or inconclusive.

Since I left and threw out my cosmetics and toiletries, my health has improved significantly (I was recontaminating myself). The swelling in my face and eyes has gone down, the headaches, nausea and numbness are gone and I have alot more energy. Homeowners out there, especially in the southwest, be aware that this problem is out there and get your house tested if you have any health problems or are feeling sluggish and dizzy whenever you’re in a certain area.

This will be an adventure, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with Fritz and with everyone. Hopefully it will be somewhere between a cautionary tale, a chance to vent, and a celebration of how life sometimes takes the reins from you and slaps you into paying attention!