Starting Over

My car died! Again! It's only been about 5 months since I replaced the engine and transmission with one from a used 2005 Camry, and the engine overheated. I was on my way to Albuquerque to grab supplies for the Rectangle Corner booth I did at a gaming tournament in California. Thankfully, we had the money to rent out a vehicle for me to still make it.

I have a mechanic friend in Albuquerque who I called immediately after breaking down on the side of the road. He's helped me out a few times before with my Camry, and actually recommended that I buy another used vehicle instead of trying to fix my Camry. I should have listened to him. He had a used vehicle ready for me a few weeks later. It was $1500 for a 2007 Hyundai Azera. So far, I feel like I made the right decision.

I'm typing this right now in the apartment my dad is letting my sister live in during her rehabilitation. It's small, roach infested, and pretty dirty, but I'm fine with living in it with her for the time being. I would usually be staying at my mom or dad's place, but my sister is at my mom's, and there's only 2 bedrooms there. My dad says I can't stay with him because he and his wife have been arguing for a while. I'm not sure about all the details, but I think they might be getting a divorce. My dad says he might be leaving the house. Here's a photo of the apartment I'm living in:

Living with my sister has been weird. She doesn't do anything. She just lays around, and only gets up to use the restroom, go outside and smoke, or eat. When I returned after about a month in Albuquerque, she says she hasn't been to her counseling sessions, or applied to any jobs. My dad can't afford to pay for this apartment for much longer. I don't know what else I can do for her. She won't listen to anything I tell her. She just stares at me whenever I ask her what her plans are. She says she wants to get a cosmetology license, but hasn't done anything to take the first steps towards it. She says she relapsed on crystal meth again. Who is supplying these things to her? She doesn't have any money. She says she gets them at 'parties'. I don't want to see her back on the streets, but how can I help someone who doesn't want help? Here's another photo of the apartment:

I've been Doordashing to help pay for the things I need, which isn't much. I've made sure I don't have much bills to pay for. The only things I have to pay for at the moment is food, my upcoming car insurance bill, car maintenance, and my credit card bill. I do have student loans I have to pay off, but I've managed to defer that for the time being. Since I don't think I'll be able to work even a seasonal job anytime soon, Doordash will suffice for now.

Applying to a bunch of conventions have paid off. We're getting acceptance emails almost every week. Me and my business partner have been splitting up and going to separate conventions during the same week. Most of these new conventions are Anime related. We usually just go to gaming tournaments and conventions. We're trying to see if expanding to broader audiences is worth it. Here's a photo of the booth I ran at Chain Shift, a tournament in California:

It's been over a month since my last post. I could have had 2 or three more blog posts made in between this one, but it got so stressful dealing with the car and traveling to conventions. This blog isn't high on my priority list, but it always feels great typing out the things I've been dealing with and what I'm hopeful for.