A little bug problem
My worst nightmare has come true: bed bugs.
Those blood-sucking monsters found a way into my bedroom and have been feeding off of me for the last month. It all started after my trip to Portland (they probably happily hitched a ride in my suitcase on the airplane) when I began noticing small bug bites on my arms and legs. I knew they weren't mosquito bites because I swell up like a balloon and itch for weeks from those. Then one morning I actually saw one, crawling on my sheet. I smashed the fucker and watched the blood squirt out onto my hand. Excuse my language, but bed bugs call for it. I've been terrified of getting them since I moved here.
At least I knew exactly what I was dealing with since I had them in college -- from the same suitcase too, so I threw out the cursed thing. I immediately called my super and management and scheduled an exterminator to come. Simple, I thought, I'll be good in no time.
But then I got the prep sheet for what I needed to do in my apartment prior to the extermination. I had to wash EVERYTHING I own, which is way too much. About 20 loads of laundry later all my clothes and bedding were in sealed garbage bags in my living room and they have to remain there, sealed, for two weeks. Do you know how much of a struggle it is to get dressed in the morning? I've been wearing the same jeans every day now because I'm not about to hunt for anything else in those bags.
I had to take down everything from the walls. This is when I found another bugger and fecal matter on the drapery I had above my bed. I've obviously drank a lot of wine during this process. I was a little grossed out and couldn't sleep that night.
The exterminator came yesterday morning. As expected, it's an extremely minor problem since I caught it so early, but damn I was nervous. I was relieved to find that he was a cool guy with some crazy stories. He lifted my mattress and box spring up against the wall and saw no evidence. He said "how many have you actually seen?" He told me stories of filthy box springs crawling with hundreds with bugs and eggs. OH MY GOD. He also used to live in my current neighborhood in the 80s -- when the area was so bad you couldn't walk outside without getting robbed or stabbed. Don't worry, he's even impressed with how well the neighborhood has turned out.
According to him, many of these buildings were abandoned and solely used for drug dealing. He saw someone get stabbed in the face at his high school. Guys in one building wouldn't let him in to exterminate unless he was there to buy drugs. There was a motel down the street filled with prostitution.
Back to bugs. My living room is still packed with garbage bags and I stumble around them in the morning. But he comes back for a second treatment in two weeks and said I should be more than okay after that. Thank god. Unfortunately I really wanted to host Thanksgiving and cook up a feast this year but there's no way I can have people over, unless they want to sit on garbage bags filled with clothes. I am thankful for my wonderful apartment -- although I've dealt with roaches, mice, and bedbugs (oh my!) I've made this my cozy home away from home and I love it.
Those blood-sucking monsters found a way into my bedroom and have been feeding off of me for the last month. It all started after my trip to Portland (they probably happily hitched a ride in my suitcase on the airplane) when I began noticing small bug bites on my arms and legs. I knew they weren't mosquito bites because I swell up like a balloon and itch for weeks from those. Then one morning I actually saw one, crawling on my sheet. I smashed the fucker and watched the blood squirt out onto my hand. Excuse my language, but bed bugs call for it. I've been terrified of getting them since I moved here.
At least I knew exactly what I was dealing with since I had them in college -- from the same suitcase too, so I threw out the cursed thing. I immediately called my super and management and scheduled an exterminator to come. Simple, I thought, I'll be good in no time.
But then I got the prep sheet for what I needed to do in my apartment prior to the extermination. I had to wash EVERYTHING I own, which is way too much. About 20 loads of laundry later all my clothes and bedding were in sealed garbage bags in my living room and they have to remain there, sealed, for two weeks. Do you know how much of a struggle it is to get dressed in the morning? I've been wearing the same jeans every day now because I'm not about to hunt for anything else in those bags.
I had to take down everything from the walls. This is when I found another bugger and fecal matter on the drapery I had above my bed. I've obviously drank a lot of wine during this process. I was a little grossed out and couldn't sleep that night.
The exterminator came yesterday morning. As expected, it's an extremely minor problem since I caught it so early, but damn I was nervous. I was relieved to find that he was a cool guy with some crazy stories. He lifted my mattress and box spring up against the wall and saw no evidence. He said "how many have you actually seen?" He told me stories of filthy box springs crawling with hundreds with bugs and eggs. OH MY GOD. He also used to live in my current neighborhood in the 80s -- when the area was so bad you couldn't walk outside without getting robbed or stabbed. Don't worry, he's even impressed with how well the neighborhood has turned out.
According to him, many of these buildings were abandoned and solely used for drug dealing. He saw someone get stabbed in the face at his high school. Guys in one building wouldn't let him in to exterminate unless he was there to buy drugs. There was a motel down the street filled with prostitution.
Back to bugs. My living room is still packed with garbage bags and I stumble around them in the morning. But he comes back for a second treatment in two weeks and said I should be more than okay after that. Thank god. Unfortunately I really wanted to host Thanksgiving and cook up a feast this year but there's no way I can have people over, unless they want to sit on garbage bags filled with clothes. I am thankful for my wonderful apartment -- although I've dealt with roaches, mice, and bedbugs (oh my!) I've made this my cozy home away from home and I love it.
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