Well, IF I ever buy something, I'll be more careful about checking for noise and all the other things you are supposed to check for before you move into a place.


We did check for noise. I guess I wasn't listening. We came out here a few extra times to walk and drive around and we did this at different times (night,,day). I took my meter that measures EMF and such to see that it was safe to live here.

The old apt was near the corner of two of the busiest highways in the county. But the traffic is slow moving (congestion,...). Here it is more residential, but people can speed by.
I get a sinking feeling when I heard an ambulance today. Maybe I need to meditate about the noises.


It's not only the noise itself, which is bad enough. It has to do with how they make me sad. Can't really explain it.


Mari

do you mean the ambulances sirens make you sad?
I hate to hear about you getting sad....
(((HUGS)))
bizi

I think that tonight marks the 12th night we are here in our new place.

The apt management fixed a few little things we pointed out.
But they haven't yet fixed the smelly fridge.

The maintenance guy said he didn't smell anything wrong.
Shooot.
Today I tried to ignore the apt and sleep.
Tomorrow I will ask hubby to deal with management again.

He can't smell anything either but I smell that the fan underneath the fridge in blowing foul smelling air through the kitchen and the rest of the apt.

If they don'f fix/clean it/get me a new fridge I will take it apart this weekend -- getting upset.

Yesterday while I was away at work, hubby set up my office in a little bedroom for me. He also unpacked most of my book boxes.

And I have DSL! The phone company started billing be for it even though they said at one point that I couldn't get it in this "facility." My techie friend came over on the weekend, but all she had to do was plug in the computer and put in the phone. That's a good thing at least.

Slept all day.
Feel sad.
Crying this evening.
Not sure why.

Mari

hi Bizi,
I think somedays I can't deal with other people's lives.
I get disturbed when I hear someone sqealing off from the 7-11 gas station because I worry about the idiotic driver. I get disturbed when I hear the construction workers. I worry for them and wonder about their lives. i worry about the guy making deliveries to the 7-11 in the middle of the night.

You'd think I have enough stuff to worry about.
But the noises are intrusive.

I have to stop this.
mari

I wish I could offer some suggestions but right now I can't. If you are spiritual then maybe you can focus on we don't understand the whys and even if we could control everything we would probably get it wrong anyways...lol...
the refrigerator sounds awful....do you think there could be a dead mouse under there or is that too simple?
I am so sorry about your feelings of sadness...crying is great...it releases toxins....
I hope you feel better soon.
Bobby

Dera Mari,
I think this is part of your grieving...does this make sense.
coping maybe a better word.
Getting Married and moving are both BIG stressors and this could set my emotions to be hypersensitive. LIke I remember that when faced with a trauma or big stressful situation...I would be so emotional that I would cold cry at puppes on tv.
The world is really a scarey place these days.
You are a sensitive woman....
Have you been like this a while or is this something new for you?
How is your ability to focus been?
I would not be surprised if you were not having a bit of mixed mood right now.
take care and have a good day.
((((HUGS))))
bizi

Hi Mari ....

Been doing some thinking this morning as I read your thread. Now I can't come close to the thoughts Bizi has had about your thoughts and moods, but I say that even good positive happy things can be major life stresses, just as she said.

But while I can't add to that, I do have some ideas about your refrigerator. The first thing I would do is to get the maintenance man to (carefully) pull the drainpan out from under the fridge. This is often deep in fungal growth or other nasties. If this is it, dump out the water, clean it with thoroughly, finish off with a bleach water rinse, then when you place it on the floor, right before you push it back into place, pour in some bleach. If it is enough, it will last some time.

Now another thing to think about, of course, is the FLOOR under the fridge. The maintence man should pull the refridgerator fully out from the wall. If there is a wood floor or a wood subfloor, it is always possible that a overflowing drain pan has rotted the wood. Any rot must be removed.

Clean the floor thoroughly, finish with bleach water. Vacuum the back of the fridge and underneath (or there are long "bristle brushes" that look rather like extremely long baby bottle brushes) that can reach all the dust that has accumulated. This will make your refrigerator cost less to run.

If you can clean the actual fan blades, all the better. If there is an ice maker, check the plumbing (if clear plastic) for any signs of growth inside and have the maintenance man replace it.

Now, I have a story of bad nasty odor INSIDE a refrigerator. We had gone by someone's house, looked at their fridge that was empty, but running. It was PERFECT and quite a buy for us. It was delivered and set in the kitchen. And I open the door. My LORD, it smelled like rotted meat. I called her right away. I asked her if meat juices may have dripped down into the bottom of the fridge, seeped into the seams, destroying the fridge for human use. No, she said, that never happened. And frankly, I was having a hard time believing her.

Then she suddenly remembered that her husband had cut a watermelon and put it back in the fridge and it dripped profusely into the bottom. Into, I realized, the fiberglass insulation. <groan>
Well, who knew watermelon could stink so badly?

What I did was this -- I mixed some bleach water and poured it into the bottom of the fridge, let it seep down thru the seams. Followed it up with a baking soda-water mixture, let it, too, have a chance to seep down into those seams. Afterwards, when it was dry again, I sprinkled a heavy layer of baking soda over the bottom and poured vanilla extract over it.

Fixed the problem. The odor never came back, even when the fridge was again unplugged for several days when we moved.

Now (long post, isn't it), I have some ideas to quell some of the most jarring qualities of your noise problem. I, too, have experienced something like this - tho I don't have my mind follow the traffic, so to speak.

Now, if you enjoy listening to music, getting some headphones can help during part of the day. I particularly enjoy white noise - I find it soothing because it covers up the emptiness of total silence which tends to make me anxious. And certainly makes any outside noise more intrusive.

Summer and winter, I run fans. Every fan has a different kind of noise. My favorite is a terrific multi-directional, flat on the floor model called The Wind Machine. Very quiet.

I also do exceptionally well with what many would consider a noisy ticking clock. I like those old-fashioned Baby Bens with the dual bells and the little hammer that makes you WANT to get out of bed - so you turn the blamed thing off!!! (Unfortunately, even the Baby Bens are no longer wind up and can't tick. Such a loss for mankind.) I even took that clock and one of those little air cleaners to the hospital every time I had surgery. That white noise and ticking "muted" the distraction of the noise from the buisy halls and adjacent areas, allowing me to sleep well.

Now, I don't have solutions for the obsessive relentless nature of your thoughts. Can you call your doctor's office, describe your symptoms, and ask him if he thinks a medication or medication change could help you.

Theresa

Dear Mari,
I hope that you get some action out of the staff and are getting some what used to the new place....
bizi

Thank you, Bizi, Bobby, and OneMoreTime,

Maintenance Man number two came today. He stuck his head in the fridge to take a sniff. I said, "No" and pointed to the bottom where the fan is.

He took out a drip pan of black water. He poured the water down the kitchen sink. Then I took the pan from him and scrubbed it with soap and a scrub brush.

I saw lots of dust and dirt that will need to be vaccuumed on the weekend.

OneMoreTime, I am now totally grossed out about the ice maker water line. I think that I will turn off the ice maker and go back to using old fashioned ice trays like we did in the old days in the other apt 12 days ago.
The floor is ok (I hope) because it is tile that appears to be in very good condition. And hubby scrubbed the floor a couple of days ago.
Your water melon story is disturbing. But I am also amazed when I read about people like you who can handle things. If I can't take care of a problem with a phone call, then I just hope it goes away.


Thanks, Ladies.
When I came home from work tonight I could only smell the residue of the smell.
I am relieved to see that I can get to that pan and keep it clean for the future.

Mari

that was an incredible post Theresa...so right on the mark. Mari, thank goodness for your persistence. Did your husband say anything about his nose?
I hope even though he is stubborn he will now trust your nose over his lol.
I have a funny watermelon story. My sister's old roommate's family went out west by car. They bought a watermelon on the way and forgot about it. They reached their destination and stayed for a while. When they had the gargage get their car and they opened the door, the watermelon had exploded all over the inside roflmao...they were so embarrassed.
Bobby