okay - so I've only missed ONE week..

Life is just 'go-go-go'
between house hunting.. job hunting.. keeping up with my Avon.. I'm busy busy busy
              but what do I have to show for it ???
not a whole lot

we looked at more houses on October 25.. some we'd seen online but wanted to see inside..
               2 we hadn't seen before, and didn't know about..

1 of those.. 3 bedroom.. 1 bathroom.. good kitchen.. great yard - plus a separate open lot in back. it's been a rental & the owner has gotten frustrated with tenants.. the last 3 tenants were evicted.
we offered based on the tax assessment.. the owner wasn't having it.. he wants to keep renting it out-  okay.. that's your choice. 
   
we considered going for another house. we'd seen it prior. little cozy place - 2 bedroom/1bathroom. 1/2 acre land (comes with a tractor!)  dirt road in and out (including uphill driveway).  we could even enlarge the house - a little in front, a little to the side, a little to the back. 

another house we saw was in perfect condition. no repairs necessary. big front room. big master bedroom. 2nd bedroom.. 2 bathrooms.. open kitchen.. open view of mountains, not a busy street (dirt road again)  
                not much yard & no garage..
this seemed to be the house SHE wanted us to buy. 

after being turned down on the rental, we decided on the tractor house.. that was the one we mentioned with her. we planned out our own changes to make over time.. 
she emailed a little while later for an offer on the 'perfect condition' house. we researched the houses in the neighborhood. we looked up tax assessment value, and Zillow-website property value -- based our offer off of that. they acted like we majorly insulted them.  they countered only $1000 from their list price and stated the wood-burning stove would probably be removed (thereby making the house even less valuable to us.. the wood-burning stove was the best part of that house) 
we told her no - not interested.

back to zero again.

on the job market - zero luck still. applied to several more positions over the last 2 weeks, my options are thinning out. 
drove up to Valencia/Santa Clarita/Newhall.. drove thru the industrial centers, business centers.. came home with company names, looked on company websites.. no luck 
drove back again the next day, writing down more company names.. looked on more company websites.. still no luck. 
Bakersfield was my next choice.. not really likin' my options..

not one interview - still.. someday soon (hopefully). if I find a job beginning December, my insurance benefits kick in beginning March. my old benefits end beginning March and the new can take over..

if I don't find a new job beginning December, my insurance benefits will end beginning March, and I'll be uninsured - that leaves me with expensive COBRA or expensive CALIFORNIA CARE..

choices.. choices..