The latest apt.

I'm in my new suite in Vic. The good thing is it's near a great yoga studio, accuncture, coffee shops and health food store.

The bad side is that I had my friend, Ian, check it out for me after I found it online and liked the photos. He has severe MCS and I was out of town but figured I'd rely on his body's intelligence-- if he didn't react to it, "I wouldn't either." Dumb idea. Deep in the recesses of my mind, I knew that everyone reacts differently, and that I'd made the mistake of having others check out places for me before, but I relied on him since I was in a different city and figured I may get lucky this once.

Unless one is very careful, finding a place in the rainforest that's not moldy is rare; many people don't think about the mold-factor. If there is no insulation in the walls as there isn't in this bedroom and if it's often cold as this house is, mold grows and it can be black and behind the walls even if no one sees it. It's most certainly in the walls of the bedroom here, and I only know because my head starts not only to feel like it's "caving in" with my brain being squished, but I get "radio head" where my background thoughts--or "monkey mind" as it's called in yoga--becomes very loud and it sounds like I'm hearing a non-sensical radio. It only happens in moldy or pesticide-ridden areas.

Inflammation --as is discussed in a great book "Brain Allergies"-- isn't good for the brain and as my friend and "mcs coach" Annie says, my "health comes first". This may literally be around the 39th place I've lived in, in the past 8 years of my MCS, and I've only had to skip out on one other (for poisoning me out with moth ball fumes seeping in from the adjoining garage causing 'firework' images to go off in my head) where I lost $500 in a small claims court, but I can't stay in here though there's a good chance my exhaustion will give me no alternative. It takes alot of energy to house hunt and is one of the prime stress factors in Maslow's triangle.

I don't like skipping out on landlords even when they don't tell the truth about mold (in the walls), loud noise (from a nearby construction site) or inconsiderate neighbours (in this case, a non-empathetic nurse ironically lives in the suite above my head), but I am reacting badly and I'm even slurring my words (happens in the worst of conditions) and this would only be the second time I'd have to do it, but I'll try find her another tenant instead.

WHAT DO DO while looking for another place to live? I've bought about three space heaters, and I plan to open windows slightly to bring in fresh air and blast the heat at the same time so I don't freeze. Wallmart's great; you can return items (eg. if you can't afford them) with in 90 days. If it wasn't so cold out and if I wasn't renting a new (smelly) rental car, I could even sleep in that as I used to do for naps in my old car, but overnighters won't work in this one.

I'm starting brain-wave treatment tomorrow and the ten sessions will cost me almost $2000 so I don't want to offset any good I may do by sleeping in a toxic apt., so hopefully this heat-window idea will work. Fortunately, I have health insurance to pay me the $2000 back.

There isn't anyone in the family offering safe accomodation so if this doesn't work and I don't find a healthy place, it's off to warmer pastures where I can sleep with windows wide open. Can't do the research work I'd like but at least I could heal.

Hawaii may do the trick. And maybe in the light of the moon and the darkness around it I may be able to do research on my laptop outside.

Stay tuned.