Guilty secret

When I first moved to Ontario, I was horrified by the state of my new apartment. It was filthy and I ended up spending three full days scrubbing it from top to bottom. Being from Alberta, where we clean when we move out and the are gauged by the landlords who take our full damage deposit for 'steam cleaning', it never occurred to me that it would be the opposite in Ontario. But it is - crazy province! To my Alberta mind, it seems totally backward, but there, you clean other people's messes and leave your own behind.

I'll admit, I was tempted. Who wouldn't be by the idea that they could live as they please and then move - consequence free. But, to me it seemed wrong. You just don't leave your mess behind for strangers to clean up. Upon vacating the premises, I fully intended to clean my London place when I moved out. Now, don't get me wrong. It's not that my apartment was disgusting (and believe me, I am now well familiar with disgusting); really, all it needed was a bit of polish. A good vacuuming, a bit of work on the windows, a quick wipe down of the freezer...nothing major. But...I was a student. I was working in one respect or another - assignments, networking (or, in other words, going away parties) until the last minute and was literally still packing as my ride came to take me to the airport. I just didn't get to it. I felt bad. I still feel bad

And, apparently, the universe wasn't too pleased with me either 'cause, boy, am I paying for it. Between late August and now, I have lived in 4 different apartments and of those, only one did not come covered in mold, dust, grease and garbage. A domestic goddess I'm not. I'm willing to admit that I'm a bit slack in the cleaning department. I tend to be a bit oblivious to the finer, dusty details, so you know that when I say I've spent a full 9+ days cleaning in the last seven months or so (and I do mean full - we're talking from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed), that these places are not fit for human consumption*. And every time I move into one, all I can think is that I brought it on myself.

Oh, and for the record, I leave them spotless.

*I would like to clarify that in the case of the first apartment, it was brand new and covered in drywall and dust only. In the other two, it was not because the recent inhabitants were filthy pigs; rather, they were filthy because there had been no recent inhabitants. The dirt that I spent (and continue to spend) my time cleaning is the dirt of ages. And ages. And ages.

Seriously. Karma's a bitch.