Yes, I am perfectly aware I've only posted one piece of art since Halloween, and that it sucked.

In spite of the fact that I have been unemployed since the end of October, which in theory leaves me tons of time to work on my art, the stress of the situation left me an utter wreck. I got so screwed in the head by my parent's creditors calling me and threatening me with legal action (saying I was a silent partner in the business... *pfft*) that when I wasn't out looking for work I entered a weird mental shut-down mode.

On the plus side, I've done lots of housekeeping and played a lot of WoW.

But the stress has lifted! Well, kinda.

I start my new job on Monday, doing administrative and fundraising work for the Coachella Valley Historical Society. I am super, super excited about this job. The CVHM was a semi-frequent visit when I was in elementary school, and made a big impression on me growing up. And in spite of my bitching about my immediate family and our current destitute situation, we were at one point one of the big contributors to the valley's growth (maternal grandfather was the owner of all the local grocery stores up until the late 60's, great-grandfather owned one of the first palm tree farms that wasn't centered on date production, and a bunch of other neato stuff I'd have to go through the family albums to find the details of). Plus, when I first got that weird Art/Business dual degree, it was with the intent of somehow becoming involved in either curation or museum administration. So, REALLY REALLY EXCITED.

Of course, the good news about the job was preceded by my car biting the dust in rather dramatic fashion. The timing belt broke, and it took out the exhaust valves and the head when it went. The mechanic who did the diagnosis said there may also by a punctured piston. It's going to cost well over $1500 to fix, money El Hubby and I don't have because of our respective work situations. So sometime between now and Monday, I've got to figure out how to scrape together a few hundred dollars to buy a beater car, since a car will be required for my new job. I still have that PayPal donation thing set up, if anyone wants to help.

One final note - huge, huge thanks to everyone who's ed and purchased stuff from my shop in the last couple months. Just because I've been really, really out of it doesn't mean I don't appreciate all the love.

Challenge Me!

Okay, since I've been utterly, utterly art lazy the last two months, I need a jump-start. So, give me a challenge. Tell me you want a piece with certain colors, in a certain style, give me a theme; go wild! Leave me a comment below and I'll fill as many requests as it takes to put my brain back in art mode.