Apparently not.

Last week, ze purple needed oil. It had just had an oil change about two months ago, but I'd been driving to Madison at least once a week, so maybe I needed more oil. Two days later, the oil light was flashing again, so I took it in to be checked.

A piece of my engine had broken off inside. The Guy said he'd spend the weekend calling around, and try to get me a deal on a used engine.

I have about $600 available on one credit card. I was willing to borrow an additional $200 from savings, but no more. Completely emptying my savings for this would mean another year before I can even start job hunting again, and that is simply not an option. Besides, Wej said my transmission sounds like hell too.

I am fully aware that even used, an $800 engine is either going to be made of styrofoam, or shipped in by magical butterflies from the Happy Land of Delusional Fantasies. But, well, you never know. Maybe Guy has an engineberry tree growing in his backyard.

He was closed yesterday (And that's a whole new rant, for another time. Banks get to celebrate bank holidays. Other businesses do not. Yesterday was July 5, and there was no reason all for the whole damn town to be closed.) so I went there again today. Including labor, the best used engine he could find would cost about $1000.

I need a car. After we move, I'll have bus technology available to me, or I could even begin the apartment hunt in walking distance from my job. But right now, I need a car. I'm driving to Madison once or twice a week for interviews. After I'm hired, I'd get two weeks of finishing up my various and sundry jobs in town, and then I'd have to get to Madison every day. One month notice on the apartment here. IF I got hired today, and IF I found an apartment right away, that's still two weeks of walking to Madison. I can't use Rijid's car, because he has to get to work every day too.

I was whining to Jake yesterday, and he said he could teach me The Ways of the Saturn. Maybe I'll get the exact same green one he and Brenda both have. And, let's not forget that with a new car, I would be the only one driving it. I could probably make a car outlast the payments by at least six months.

***

Since this is already a whiny entry, a quick job update:

I had FOUR interviews last week. One of them sent a form letter postcard two days later. One of them was at a library (sigh and swoon!) and they sent me a very nice form letter about how they had decided not to fill the position at all until September, but please contact us again when you see something posted. The other library I applied at hasn't even bothered to send me form letter yet.

I have a solid work history. I'm pleasant, and a hard worker. I go to all interviews freshly showered and wearing nice clothes. I'm disciplined, I'm organized, I always have a pen. Everyone keeps telling me Madison has only a 2% unemployment rate. What the hell am I doing wrong?

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