Trust me I want to move back. But I moved because my home state was hit very very hard by the recession. It's come back a little in the last 2 1/2 years, but there are more jobs available -at least by listings- for people like me with my degree and experience. The cost of living is also lower. I keep going back and forth.

My mother, also had another mild stroke a few days ago, so she's in physical rehab. she has some slight right side weakness she's working on. She was going to be my room mate in the interim while I tried to find a job and pursued the Masters. So that's a kink in both our plans. She is still stuck in NOVA. She was planning to leave and go back to So. Cal and I was going to join her.

She is still planning to do that, but I'm unsure about whether she will be be up to it by the end of Oct. she's actually had several small strokes over the past 4 years, with no real physical outward evidence of it. But she is 75, her luck will not hold out forever.

As for me, ever since I left home in Jan. 2013 life has beaten she **** out of me. I left with a good credit score, which has gradually been whittled away because of bad low paying jobs, growing depression and a job that doesn't pay what I was told it would pay. I was stable for years since my depression diagnoses in 2005. I started having more bad depressive episodes when I left home. I just can't figure out what I"m doing wrong. I try and try to get a professional job and I just never make it. It's been years now. I no longer care about much or have any goals. I'm starting to really not care.