A Great Day : Work, House, and Art Update...

It has been a very busy time lately and as such, I have been bad about writing. That is not to say that nothing is going on, however. Here are some updates in my world... I got a call yesterday from Petra (my fav barista) at 2nd Moon coffee shop to confirm my solo show in May. In spite of having to hang the show in less than 15 days, I am wicked excited. The series is coming along quite nicely. Late last night I half expectedly discovered a new visual element in my new painting series that resulted in a sort of optical illusion. It was pretty cool and I am hoping to incorporate it in the remaining unfinished pieces. I still have to find out about an opening, but it will probably go down May 4th. I hope to have wine, cheese, and all that. I'll keep everyone posted! I have been a wee bit nervous about work since SXSW. The design and some of the functionality has been being tossed around by the higher ups in the last month or so. Meanwhile, the launch keeps getting pushed back and the fear of vaporware has entered my mind. In the mean time, my boss's boss's boss Lewis announced that he is leaving AOL to start his own thing. While I am used to shifts among the higher ups at AOL, it is unsettling news. However, today my Boss's boss Tom sent out an email with info on today's meeting with AOL News about the future of Propeller, the design, and integrations with the AOL Community as a whole. That sufficiently calmed my nerves. There is nothing more de-motivating when it comes to telecommuting than worrying that your job (which already seems non-existent aside from paychecks and emails) might not be there. Due to my recent raise and performance review, I'm less worried about being fired than I am being part of some huge layoff. However, I just have to keep telling myself that I have a nice severance package waiting if I do get canned. Eitherway, Tom's news today rocks. Go Propeller! Finally, the house shopping bug continues. I met with a mortgage dude today to review logistics. It looks like I will need about $8k in unavoidable costs upfront, 0% down, and be paying around $1800 per month - all based on the maximum amount I was approved for ($250k). Awesome! As it sits, I have $1k in my checking, and $4500 in my ING. I can probably secure another $2k by my May 15th pay check and my 2 renters agreed to contrib $1k each for first month's rent and deposit - thus giving me $8500 going into closing. Even without renters, I can swing the $1800 per month and not live like a troll. Next step is to work with a real estate agent and make an offer on this place I am looking at down the street. If I score it, you better come to my house warming party! Ok, that is all for now. I'll keep you posted! Holla.