we first want to thank everyone so much for their contributions from that desperate post that has lived on the front-page for too long. things are much less dire, but we’re still available for any online-type or distance-doable tasks you might have in mind (except buttons, because the button press is in storage). anyway, here’s the update:

 

hi dears,

we did it. we sold the house. it closed on august 26th.

my grandparents helped so much and got us through the process, so they’re very present in this collective “we.”

we put in a new kitchen (which took twelve or more trips to ikea), finished the things that had been torn out (like light fixtures and a furnace), and spiffed the place up a lot. we ended up making a 36k “profit” on the sale, which means the net loss after all the meth expenses leaves us (also collectively, since we’re still unemployed) down about $20,000. i would be interested to look at a summary of the finances just for curiosity, but mostly i just don’t want to dwell on it any more.

we were functionally homeless for a while there, but have landed back at my mother’s house. it’s weird because she lives in the caribbean, so our chances to rebuild our careers are lessened by being here. still, there’s a lot of ways for us to help out here, and we’re engaging ourselves online. my partner is starting a graduate program in math, which they could finish in a year if they are able to do it full-time.

we were hoping to be here and have stability for a while, but medical issues are making it seem like maybe we should go back sooner. thanks to the affordable care act we have some amazing healthcare when we’re back in washington, and it might be smarter to access that than to let things linger.

the idea of trying to re-settle is really daunting, though. a big factor in buying a house, for me, was not wanting to move anymore. before all of this, the cat had moved 22 times in his eleven years… now it’s probably closer to 30 (he’s staying with my aunt for the time being). it’s certainly easier to move when most of my possessions fit into two suitcases, but there’s still so much insecurity in the idea of two unemployed people trying to find a place to live. plus, i sold my car when we moved, and i don’t feel safe living without personal transportation, since public transportation can be really difficult for me.

so it’s a pickle. i applied for low-income housing in seattle, but the waiting lists can be years, decades long. services are usually prioritized for families with kids and elders, which we are not. we’re still not sure where we’re going yet, so are working on a tentative peace with this tropical island.

xo

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