Fruit Flies

First of all, I apologize for the lack of posts. But, to make up for it, I have a little story to share that will allow you all to laugh at me:)

Let's start off with the fact that I am not really the neatest person around. At least when it comes to my apartment. At work, I do a great job keeping my desk tidy and my lab bench is in very good order, but at home it's another story. Growing up my family knew that I was rather untidy- but I had my brother around and he was messy also. In comparison, I didn't look too bad. Then of course there was college. I lived with Loricious for two years. The stories of her messiness in college are legendary. But, they are her stories to share- and while I will typically share all her stories gladly after a few drinks, I will refrain from telling them on the worldwide web:) Senior year I had a new roommate, who luck would have it, was also messy. Again, I didn't look too bad when she left out a cup of milk until it curdled. After college, there were a few different roommates and we all managed to keep things fairly clean. I won't say it wasn't messy and cluttered, but you know, the bathroom was clean and the dishes were typically done. Even when I lived with Loricious again for a year, the crappy place on the East Side was far cleaner than one would think it could have ever been. 

Anyway, back to the current story. I've been really good since moving into the current apartment, so the new story was a result of an utter lack of thinking lately. I've been pretty busy and occasionally things like laundry getting put away and dishes getting done have slipped. I finally took the time on Saturday to do the dishes that had been piling up in the kitchen. Things were going well, although I noticed that there were a few fruit flies buzzing around the kitchen. Every time I killed a couple, there seemed to be a few more. I couldn't figure out where they were coming from. Until I turned around. I had made a protein shake a while back. I'm not totally sure when I did that, but I would guess it was a couple of weeks. (Yeah, I know....) There is usually just a little bit left in the blender after pouring it in my to-go cup. That morning, I was in a rush, and instead of rinsing the blender, I just put it back on the base. When I saw it on Saturday, it looked like the little jars that we used in genetics when we were doing our fruit fly labs. The interior was covered in fruit flies. It was completely disgusting. I closed the top all the way and went to look for something that I could use to kill them. 

However, I have stopped using cleaning products with chemicals, so I didn't have anything that would definitely kill all the bugs. I also didn't have any bleach. I found a half-full can of Scrubbing Bubbles from the old place. I also had a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. So, I took the blender into the bathroom and put it in the tub. I opened the top just enough to pour in the hydrogen peroxide and then filled the rest with water. I was fairly certain that this had killed everything, so I opened the top. However, a bunch of flies were clinging to the lid. They must have found a little air pocket up there. When I opened it, I grabbed the Scrubbing Bubbles and sprayed them down. Once I was sure everything was dead. I then had to clean the whole thing out. I have now washed the blender about four times to make sure there are no remnants of the chemicals left. 

Now, after a few days, I have finally killed just about all the flies that had escaped. I have made a solemn vow to rinse the blender right away no matter how little time I have in the morning. So, now you can all continue laughing. If you need a few more laughs, you can picture me crouched over my tub pouring stuff into my blender. Well, I hope to post more often again. Wish me luck- I'm running the Lakefront Marathon this weekend.