Time to nut up or shut up

Yes, I'm still here in Texas. But I'm 95% sure that June will be my month to pack up my truck and depart.

Last week I had two interviews that were better than any of the previous ones. One was with a mortgage lender headquartered just south of Cleveland, and another was a huge realty conglomerate based just north of Chicago. But even if neither pan out, I need to quit being nervous about moving. I can't even find a contract-to-perm job if I stay here.

My last two bicycle rides were too sweaty for my taste. It reminded me how I've been declaring for years that I needed to escape the wretched Texas summers. 

Another reason for moving is that I lost my elderly Emily earlier this week. She was a small black cat I'd had for over ten years, and she was legendarily talkative. I could never get on the phone without her suddenly climbing in my lap and getting mouthy. She had gone into renal failure earlier this month and the usual sub-cutaneous fluid treatment didn't work (it doesn't that often). I could have never have left her at the house, no matter who ends up as my tenant/cat sitter.

As feared, my unemployment benefits stopped last month and there was no getting an extension. These days, an extension literally does not exist. Fortunately, a former MetLife stapher has begun sending me work from her new job with yet another mortgage lender, and a second lender has just sent me a non-disclosure agreement. I can keep doing both of these jobs no matter where I end up.

The existing freelance work helps but doesn't pay all of the bills so I've begun pulling money out of savings. Ian* has sent me money a few times while apologizing for constantly postponing my visit to Buffalo/Toronto. His new job pays very well, but I'm still not that comfortable with this. 

* See The Usual Suspects.