Looking For A Job In A New Locale

Hi folks. I’m Cat Grant, former freelance fiction writer from Monterey, California. If you’ve been following my story, you know I’ve had a rough time of it the last couple of years. Due to depression and a bunch of other health concerns, my writing career died on the vine back in 2015. Since then, I tried my best to find full time work in the Monterey Bay Area, but only managed to land a few scattered and mostly inadequate temporary jobs. My age (58) and the shaky state of my health (I have arthritis in both knees) were working against me. Still, I persisted until a few weeks ago, when my landlord turned against me in a particularly vicious way. He told me to start looking for another place to live, and there was no doubt in my mind that if I didn’t, he would find some way to evict me. This was the last thing I needed to hear. At this point, my emotional state started to crumble. My anxiety and depression went through the roof. Sheer panic became my normal state of mind. My thoughts raced. My chest became so tight, I thought I would die. In March, I finally did land a full time job, but by that point, it was too little, too late. The people were nice, but the pay was woefully inadequate - my take-home would barely even cover my rent. And my landlord continued to breathe down my neck. Luckily, I have one truly great friend who’s had my back through all of this. She’s the reason I’d been able to stay in my apartment for the past two years. She lives in Tehachapi, in the high desert in SoCal, and she offered me a room in her house. With no other alternative that I could see, I took her up on her offer. I’ve now been living in Tehachapi for the last week and a half. I realize that the choice I’ve made will not sit well with some people. I’m grateful to everyone who’s helped me by contributing to my previous GFM from when I was trying to stay afloat in Monterey. And I understand when I hear some of you say that I’ve disappointed you by “giving up.” However, I don’t see it so much as giving up as bending to the reality of the situation. After two years of fruitless searching, it had become clear to me that I was never going to find a job that would support me in Monterey. In fact, if I’d been truly honest with myself, I should have packed it in a year ago. I just couldn’t accept that nobody wanted someone with my experience (20 years in office administration and accounting) if that experience came wrapped in an aging, arthritic package. So I kept “waiting for a sign” when that sign was already flashing bright red right in front of my eyes. So, here I am in Tehachapi. It’s a lovely town, albeit a small one. As in, not very many jobs. I’m looking, but it may take me a while. The good news is, my friend is letting me live here rent-free, at least until I find something. The bad news is, I still have expenses to meet. I need a working phone and internet connection in order to search for work. This sort of thing costs more in a rather remote location like Tehachapi. I also need to help pay for my share of food. A couple hundred dollars a month would do it. Can you help?