Art Commissioning Details

Commissions and Requests List

Original Posting

For those that haven't sat through the last several weeks with me randomly grumbling at them on Yahoo and fretting over the onslaught of papers the last class had me doing... yes I am alive.

I have learned more in the last eight weeks about Japanese International Relations than I have in a long time.  It is very, very, different to me to be researching current things.  For a long time I've been more in the History and religions sectors of the Asian Studies department.  My brain feels like mush, but I know I'm walking away with a more acceptable grasp of things than I had before.

I am nearly ready to submit my term paper for this current class, and then April 2nd starts my foray into the class on American Foreign Policy, which is required in my degree.  Another eight weeks, then I intend to take the summer off to spend more time with the kids and have more time with my mate... as all of them have been very understanding.

Finances are going to be tight those few months without the loans to fall back on.  I was hoping that I would be able to take my daughter to the Summer Shinto Seminar this year, or at least that we could finally make omairi (visit) to Tsubaki Shrine, but unless money starts coming in from writing, editing, or art in large amounts, it will not be happening.  At least I should have more time to write and paint, and regain some semblance of sanity, but I was really hoping to take my daughter for such an important cultural experience (which would also have a side benefit of furthering many of my own studies).  Also, I do not want to ask my mother to send us, as she has so many issues of her own that she is trying to get straightened out right now.  When I was younger I really seriously thought that I would have my life more settled than I do.  Then again, when I was graduating high school, I did not plan on raising an autistic child, another child with high stress/anxiety and depression, and being disabled myself.  However, since my life is not all bad, and we at least have a roof and can eat I cannot complain too much.  I have a downright plush life compared to some of the populations I have studied over the past few years.

For those interested, I am still accepting submissions for "The Dragons' Beads: An Anthology," so if you wrote a story about dragons while a child that you would like to see get into print, or are currently a minor writing one, I still want to get this project going.  At this point in time I am even willing to accept dragon stories written by adults for children, just so long as it stays FOR CHILDREN and does not get into questionable themes.

I am also experimenting with serial writing again, and currently have two separate stories that I am working with, which you can keep up with on my <ahref="[link]">Dreamwidth.  When they are fully finished, I plan to make them available as ebooks.  Also, for those that are still waiting on the third book of my Dragon Shaman series, yes I have begun to work on that one again as well.