--------------------------------------------------------------------
I posted this to sci.bio.microbiology, but I don't have response
yet. This newsgroup seems more active; that's why I'm posting
it here too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello,

Several months ago something started growing in the apartment
we live in (and I'm not talking about the rent here). It looks and
feels like small pieces of rough recycled paper. It's completely
dry, and if I'd find this somewhere and if it was not growing again
after being removed, I'd never guess it is not paper.

First we noticed it close to the ceiling on the bathroom wall.
Now it moved into the living room (again, close to the ceiling).
Our guess is that it is some kind of evil mold that likes to
hang around ceilings and possibly watch TV.

Here are some pictures we took yesterday:

http://avtanski.com/images/whatisthis/

We have a number of questions, like: What it might be?
Should we ask it to split the rent? How can we get rid of it?
If we attempt to do so, can it sue us?

Any advice will be appreciated,

- Alex

P.S. If you want some for Halloween decoration, let us know.

writes:

Hello,

Several months ago something started growing in the apartment
we live in (and I'm not talking about the rent here). It looks and
feels like small pieces of rough recycled paper. It's completely
dry, and if I'd find this somewhere and if it was not growing again
after being removed, I'd never guess it is not paper.

First we noticed it close to the ceiling on the bathroom wall.
Now it moved into the living room (again, close to the ceiling).
Our guess is that it is some kind of evil mold that likes to
hang around ceilings and possibly watch TV.

Here are some pictures we took yesterday:

http://avtanski.com/images/whatisthis/

Pieces of wallpaper.

Where's it going in the jeep?

In article , Dan Espen wrote:

Where's it going in the jeep?

It's going to the Mall..! Or perhaps to pester and infest the neighbors
place!

Dan Espen wrote:
writes:

Hello,

[ ... ]

Here are some pictures we took yesterday:

http://avtanski.com/images/whatisthis/

Pieces of wallpaper.


I admit that it looks like pieces of wallpaper, but wallpaper doesn't
appear again when you take it off. Also, the wall is painted and there
is no wallpaper at all - even under the paint. When you remove the
pieces they detach cleanly from the wall - no spot underneat, the
paint seems unaffected.

I think I can discount the possibility that this is some kind of
elaborate prank - I have a daughter, who is the right age, but wrong
height for this.

Apart from the obvious explanation (extraterrestrial invasion) some
possibilities that we consider a

(1) Deranged termites with no clear idea what are they doing - but we
haven't seen any - are they invisible?
(2) Some other insect(s) trying to build a nest (as my wife pointed
out, on one of the pictures you can clearly see some wildlife
hanging from the ceiling; how embarassing!).
(3) It's mold, fungus, a cell-phone company customer representative,
or some other member of the scum family.


Where's it going in the jeep?

Doesn't tell. To talk to his lawyer, I guess.

- Alex

is this growing or you have just noticed it? Any chance it's wall paper
peeling?

HotRod wrote:
is this growing or you have just noticed it? Any chance it's wall paper
peeling?

Growing, most definitely. After removing it, it appears again.
It looks just like paper, as far as I could tell through the toy
microscope, but it keeps showing up... :-(

- Alex

wrote in message
(3) It's mold, fungus, a cell-phone company customer representative,
or some other member of the scum family.


I'd guess at a fungus of some sort. I've seen similar looking things
growing around trees in the woods.

If it was something from a cell phone company, you'd have to sign a new 2
year agreement every time you peel it off.

wrote in message
ups.com...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I posted this to sci.bio.microbiology, but I don't have response
yet. This newsgroup seems more active; that's why I'm posting
it here too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello,

Several months ago something started growing in the apartment
we live in (and I'm not talking about the rent here). It looks and
feels like small pieces of rough recycled paper. It's completely
dry, and if I'd find this somewhere and if it was not growing again
after being removed, I'd never guess it is not paper.

First we noticed it close to the ceiling on the bathroom wall.
Now it moved into the living room (again, close to the ceiling).
Our guess is that it is some kind of evil mold that likes to
hang around ceilings and possibly watch TV.

Here are some pictures we took yesterday:

http://avtanski.com/images/whatisthis/

We have a number of questions, like: What it might be?
Should we ask it to split the rent? How can we get rid of it?
If we attempt to do so, can it sue us?

Any advice will be appreciated,

- Alex

P.S. If you want some for Halloween decoration, let us know.


Do you have forced air? Could something be coming through the vents on
occasion and sticking to various areas even though you didn't see it en
route? It looks kind of like ghost poop though.

wrote in message

I think I can discount the possibility that this is some kind of
elaborate prank - I have a daughter, who is the right age, but wrong
height for this.

Height is irrelevant when it comes to throwing food around.... r u sure
she's not doing it?

Otherwise, it might be time for a call to Ghostbusters cue the music.

can you try and isolate one (cover it up). see if it is growing by
itself.
if it is, i guess you know it's alive. if not, well, must be a creature
of some sort.

i lean toward some kind of nest by the kinda fibrous-looking
material.


wrote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I posted this to sci.bio.microbiology, but I don't have response
yet. This newsgroup seems more active; that's why I'm posting
it here too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello,

Several months ago something started growing in the apartment
we live in (and I'm not talking about the rent here). It looks and
feels like small pieces of rough recycled paper. It's completely
dry, and if I'd find this somewhere and if it was not growing again
after being removed, I'd never guess it is not paper.

First we noticed it close to the ceiling on the bathroom wall.
Now it moved into the living room (again, close to the ceiling).
Our guess is that it is some kind of evil mold that likes to
hang around ceilings and possibly watch TV.

Here are some pictures we took yesterday:

http://avtanski.com/images/whatisthis/

We have a number of questions, like: What it might be?
Should we ask it to split the rent? How can we get rid of it?
If we attempt to do so, can it sue us?

Any advice will be appreciated,

- Alex

P.S. If you want some for Halloween decoration, let us know.

Its Termite Poop, plain and simple.
Call your bug man

wrote in message
ups.com...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I posted this to sci.bio.microbiology, but I don't have response
yet. This newsgroup seems more active; that's why I'm posting
it here too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello,

Several months ago something started growing in the apartment
we live in (and I'm not talking about the rent here). It looks and
feels like small pieces of rough recycled paper. It's completely
dry, and if I'd find this somewhere and if it was not growing again
after being removed, I'd never guess it is not paper.

First we noticed it close to the ceiling on the bathroom wall.
Now it moved into the living room (again, close to the ceiling).
Our guess is that it is some kind of evil mold that likes to
hang around ceilings and possibly watch TV.

Here are some pictures we took yesterday:

http://avtanski.com/images/whatisthis/

We have a number of questions, like: What it might be?
Should we ask it to split the rent? How can we get rid of it?
If we attempt to do so, can it sue us?

Any advice will be appreciated,

- Alex

P.S. If you want some for Halloween decoration, let us know.

wrote:

Hello,

Several months ago something started growing in the apartment
we live in (and I'm not talking about the rent here). It looks and
feels like small pieces of rough recycled paper. It's completely
dry, and if I'd find this somewhere and if it was not growing again
after being removed, I'd never guess it is not paper.

I'd say lichen. is that a sheetrock ceiling? most lichen like rock.

although ones that ride in jeeps prefer pop I think

writes:

Dan Espen wrote:
writes:

Hello,

[ ... ]

Here are some pictures we took yesterday:

http://avtanski.com/images/whatisthis/

Pieces of wallpaper.

I admit that it looks like pieces of wallpaper,

Ok, you are half way to the truth.

Now admit that they ARE pieces of wallpaper.

I think I can discount the possibility that this is some kind of
elaborate prank

hmmm.

Maybe you don't have enough jeeps.

Hi Dan,

Dan Espen wrote:
Pieces of wallpaper.

I admit that it looks like pieces of wallpaper,

Ok, you are half way to the truth.

Now admit that they ARE pieces of wallpaper.

Believe me, I'm not making this up. It is not wallpaper. The Jeep
was a joke (why not), but the rest is true and is right now looking
at me from the ceiling with its tiny cold beady eyes (OK, OK... The
"beady eyes" are _not exactly true, :-) )

....

The "termite poop" idea maybe makes sense... I don't know.
I checked some pictures of the substance in question, though,
and it didn't look much like this. But who knows, maybe there
are different types of termite. Also, those things on the wall are
quite big sometimes - up to, say, 3/4 inch in length - so either
for termites pooping is a social activity, or these are some
monster termites; both notions I find slightly disturbing.

Regards,

- Alex

wrote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I posted this to sci.bio.microbiology, but I don't have response
yet. This newsgroup seems more active; that's why I'm posting
it here too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello,

Several months ago something started growing in the apartment
we live in (and I'm not talking about the rent here). It looks and
feels like small pieces of rough recycled paper. It's completely
dry, and if I'd find this somewhere and if it was not growing again
after being removed, I'd never guess it is not paper.

First we noticed it close to the ceiling on the bathroom wall.
Now it moved into the living room (again, close to the ceiling).
Our guess is that it is some kind of evil mold that likes to
hang around ceilings and possibly watch TV.

Here are some pictures we took yesterday:

http://avtanski.com/images/whatisthis/

We have a number of questions, like: What it might be?
Should we ask it to split the rent? How can we get rid of it?
If we attempt to do so, can it sue us?

Any advice will be appreciated,

- Alex

P.S. If you want some for Halloween decoration, let us know.

It could be a couple of things.

First off, what you're seeing isn't wallpaper if there is not wallpaper
there, it is more likely the front of the sheetrock. That's paper,
too.

It could be water/moisture getting into the sheetrock and causing it to
expand/deteriorate.

It could also be some sort of contaminant in the shettrock compound
when they did the knock-down finish.

Might also be baby foot that got thrown that far.

In any case, go get some great primer, like Kilz (or however you spell
it) and seal the wall. Then repaint it.

Just out of curiosity, when was it last repainted or how many layers of
paint are on it? Could it be something under the most recent layer of
paint that wasn't cleaned off -- and therefore causing the paint to
blister off?

On Wed, 04 Oct 2006 14:56:14 -0400, Dan Espen
wrote:

writes:

Hello,

Several months ago something started growing in the apartment
we live in (and I'm not talking about the rent here). It looks and
feels like small pieces of rough recycled paper. It's completely
dry, and if I'd find this somewhere and if it was not growing again
after being removed, I'd never guess it is not paper.

First we noticed it close to the ceiling on the bathroom wall.
Now it moved into the living room (again, close to the ceiling).
Our guess is that it is some kind of evil mold that likes to
hang around ceilings and possibly watch TV.

Here are some pictures we took yesterday:

http://avtanski.com/images/whatisthis/

Pieces of wallpaper.

Where's it going in the jeep?

To Wall-mart!

Get it, Wallpaper, WALL-mart? heh, heh, heh.



tom @ www.Consolidated-Loans.info

Mystery is solved - and I'm really disappointed.

It is no alien invasion, nor it is ghost poop. It's not crazy termite
construction project, and not even silly fungus...

Today I climbed up there again, trying to see it up close and
take more pictures. Took a couple of pics with the flash on,
and on one of them I saw some reflection. A couple of more
images until I got the angle of the flash just right, and here
it was:

http://www.avtanski.com/images/whati...ry_solved.html

Evidently, the painters were using masking tape while working
on the ceiling. Along the top side of the wall the tape left sticky
residue, almost impossible to see - especially if you were looking
from down there. The AC was blowing junk (the pieces of paper
and dust) that was gradually accumulating on the sticky section
of the wall, just below the ceiling.

And down below, I was looking up in amazement and awe at
that great Mystery of Nature!!!

What can I say... D-oh!!!

Thanks for the help! :-)

- Alex