First, HUGE thanks to everyone who has donated so far! I can't tell you how appreciated it is. I’m slowly writing individual thank-you notes ~ way too behind on that task.

The update:

Life continues to glitch. And glitch. And glitch some more.

The major issues (I won't bore you with the minor-to-moderate ones) :

[See original November 2025 post below for the car background.]

I’d intended to buy a clunker car to get me through but an amazing friend has been fixing my car and loaning me a car of his to drive temporarily. We figured it was about the same price as buying something and I’d have a better car at the end. He’s a very mechanic-y person and it’s about 85% done. But there’s a glitch he can’t figure out, so it’s going to have to go to a shop, which means more cost, unfortunately.

I’ve been job-hunting. Literally hundreds of resumes sent out, to library and non-library jobs. At least a couple dozen interviews, no offers.

I’ve also spent time trying to a filler job ~ but no luck at local stores and the like, either; as soon as a manager sees my resume, it’s “no, thank you” because I’m overqualified. I did the Word test for a temp agency and evidently got one of the higher scores they’ve had on it ~ but no calls to go anywhere, as they are evidently mostly looking for accounting/bookkeeping people these days. It’s been very, very discouraging.

I’ve been having continuing health problems ~ not bad enough to keep me from working but enough to be frustrating and painful ~ and expensive….Stress makes a couple of the issues worse, unfortunately, so I’m trying to manage that along with everything else.

Background, for those new:

A couple years ago, I had two major surgeries {upside: the ovarian cancer that killed my mother too young can’t kill me}. Thanks to the way the U.S. does health care, my savings were wiped out. Just as I had pretty much paid off all the medical bills and was going to start saving again, I was laid off from what should have been a stable-until-retirement state-funded job. [Insert choice words about DOGE and federal funding here….] I was {mostly} managing until November, when my unemployment ran out.

I do have bits of good news:

Another amazing friend found friends of hers with a small guest house for me to live in over the winter, so I didn’t have to go to a shelter and surrender my cats ~ I think being without them might have literally killed me (and, yes, I know the literal meaning of literal [grin]).

The town I’m in means I’m eligible for three different food pantries. Two of them are very good, so I’m pretty much set for food. Both have fresh veggies, baking supplies, and a good number of other healthy selections. I’m finally recovered enough from those surgeries that I can knead bread dough again ~ my bread making is only limited by freezer space.

So I keep pressing on ~ at some point, one of these second interview will pay off and I can start to rebuild my life.

Original post from November 2025:

Summary: unemployed and need a car to replace one with a major issue that Hyundai won't honor the warranty for.

Hi! I'm B.J. (sometimes known as Mayim).

My life has fallen apart over the last 6 months. In May, I lost my dream job due to federal library funding cuts and a seniority-based bump, despite having unique skills.

Before the lay-off, my savings had been chewed up by medical bills ~ two major surgeries a year apart, in June 2023 and June 2024, will do that in the U.S. Upside: my mother died of ovarian cancer ~ I can now say for certain that will not be my cause of death.

Since May, I've applied to over 290 positions in libraries and in other fields, as ongoing funding issues have slowed library hiring further.

In August, I faced another setback when my car's engine died. This issue appears to be quite frequent among Hyundais and Kias from the late 2010s, as both brands used the same engine model during those years. The extent of the problem became clear through a couple personal encounters:

The dealership denied the warranty, saying it is Hyundai corporate’s responsibility. Hyundai corporate tells me it's the dealership's decision. I've spent too long arguing and not getting anywhere. It's a known issue ~ there have been court cases over the issue and Hyundai supposedly has an extended warranty to cover the problem [although my car has few enough miles that it fits under the initial standard warranty].

My unemployment benefits are ending, and I need a car to find work and support myself through the winter.

Any amount you can send my way will be extremely helpful!