Okay wow holy crapola. Holy shit snacks. Jesus-jumped-up-christ. You guys are about to make me cry. I was NOT expecting this kind of support to come through in this short amount of time. To say I'm floored is an understatement. I'm astonished and humbled by the outpouring of assistance. I'm baffled and blessed. Relieved and astonished. Did I mention astonished?

I was expecting a hundred or so at best.

I was not expecting almost eighteen hundred dollars to show up in a space of 48 hours of posting my last journal. Including my now minimal contribution to the funds, I'm now sitting on 2,193 dollars to get moved in and settled in a new home.

Again. Jaw dropping.

At best I was expecting to have enough to get moved in once I got paid again. I'm now expecting to be moved in by next Wednesday. But more so, y'all have helped me with numerous other necessities that I've been neglecting in favor of staying afloat.

I was able to buy laundry soap and wash my clothes.

I was able to refill my hormone prescription.

I bought soap, tooth paste, and tooth brushes. My mouth is no longer in constant pain.

I bought fuel for my truck.

I can now pay the title transfer fee so I won't get penalized for driving without registration.

I got back my computer and tablet from pawn.

I got my data/phone plan refilled, so now my work can actually call me in for extra jobs. And I can stay in touch.

And food. When I get moved in, I will be able to stock my fridge with actual goddamned food.

You crazy, caring, generous people. There's no true way to express how thankful I am or how much this all means. I've yet to even get around to properly responding to all the encouraging notes and comments I've received. This is simply the quickest way for me to address everyone's generosity in the mean time.

That said, unless it hasn't been obvious, I've used the surplus of funds to address more things than I had originally listed. Partly because I did not think to post then at the time of the original journal (I was in the middle of getting my trailer axle put back underneath my tanker after an axle bolt went missing while I was driving) and partly because I was planning on putting a lot of these things off until later like the title transfer fee for my pickup.

That said, if you feel as if your donation was spent unfairly, please contact me and I will gladly give a refund within reason. I was rather explicit on the expenses which I immediately needed covered. But I was not expecting this much response or support, to be perfectly honest.

My expectations were subverted in the best kind of way.

That said, I want to extend a special thanks to Fivel, Not-Fun, Joel, Vaer, and anyone else who signal boosted, resulting in not only more donations than originally possible, but created a surplus of new watchers that has me in an emotional state that kind of makes me want to cry, laugh, and hug every one of y'all.

Hi. My name is Red Savage. I live in Texas, drive a truck, and write and draw. I also like rock n roll, and I'm kind of a redneck a heart. I'd say I'm not usually such a big mess, but that would only honestly be half true. All said and done I have a good sense of humor about most things. I love to talk. And deep down I'm really an optimist, even if I'm really hard on myself. If you'd like to chat, hit me up on Skype. My username is coyotecaliente, name should show up as Red Savage.

I also want to extend an extra special thanks to Ruggy, who generously offered to do art for some of the donators. That said, I don't think EITHER of us expected things to get this big this quickly. With that in mind, I think I will see what I can do about splitting the work load with her. I know the difference in art skill level is ...considerable. That said, if you would truly prefer art from that wonderful punk lion, do consider commissioning her as her time as a working artist is very valuable.

Again, thank you all. I'll be thanking every one of you all personally as I can over the next few weeks. I'll keep you updated on my application and moving progress. For the new watchers, the less stressful work environment will hopefully stimulate some creativity, and you may see more writing and art from me. I've been given a wonderful second chance and I'm going to make the best of it.

God knows I've had lots of those. I don't think I'll ever deserve a single one of them, but I certainly don't waste them. I learn so much and I get a little bit further along in life each time. This time I've learned that the kindness of complete strangers expecting nothing in return exists in abundance. And in a world where I've been screwed and taken advantage of more than I'd like to mention, and I myself have inadvertently hurt and used others--I can only try and fall short of expressing the gratitude I feel.

Thank you. Thank you every single one of you.

I love you all. http://i.imgur.com/jgCEMEx.jpg


-Red