Question: What's grosser than cracker crumbs in your new cubicle?

Answer: SILVERFISH!

So today, after a ridiculous number of emails, discussions, paperwork, and forms, I moved to a new cubicle. I'm not sure why. All that matters is the fact that I had to move all of my stuff except my phone (done by Mr. X) and my computer (done by Mr. B). Moreover, I had to remove all of the old stuff from my new cubicle. Nobody wanted to take responsibility for a whole bunch of crap leftover from an extinct grant.

So I schlepped boxes and boxes of junk back and forth using my chair as a dolly. Then I had to clean my new cubbie to eradicate what appeared to be years worth of dust. I discovered in the drawers that the previous inhabitant, who I will refer to as Ms. M, had some kind of unhealthy obsession with crackers. There were cracker crumbs in every nook and cranny, some of which simply will not leave! But what's worse are the 5--count them--5 (!) silverfish that have come out of hiding from Ms. M's piles of junk. I even found one on my chair---sneaky thing jumped off her old papers mid-transport from the new to the old cubicle and then tried to scare me by appearing near my leg. EW!

Something you might want to know about silverfish, (thanks Wikipedia), they love to eat anything with starch or polysaccharidies, including glue, book bindings, sugar, hair, dandruff, and CRACKERCRUMBS. Apparently, they have no direct effect on health beyond psychological distress. No kidding.

Well, I will continue to work on the cracker crumb eradication project (CCEP) and hopefully that will take care of the problem. I am concerned, however, over the news that silverfish can live for several months without feeding. Maybe I will lay a train of crumbs to lure any remaining bugs over to someone else's cubicle.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Silberfischchen.jpg