Your help would be appreciated.

I don't look upon blogging as a primary source of income. Even St. Paul was a tentmaker by trade, and my posts are nothing if not a personal hobby which I hope may provide some entertainment to others.

However, while I have a day job, a confluence of unfortunate circumstances since November (one spouse sick with unpaid leave; two sick kids; mounting copayments for doctor's visits and prescriptions) have put us in a very tight spot, financially.

I'm not sure how many read this blog, but if you have any desire to lend support, you can do so in one of the following ways:

• Need a web designer or artist? - I design blogs and simple websites and have a fluency in HTML, CSS and Photoshop.

  I am also a cartoonist / illustrator. Natural talent, no particular schooling. I've contributed artwork for everything from logos, album covers and flyers for bands (folk to metal) to cards and wedding invitations, to book illustrations, to t-shirts, and general cartooning of all kinds.

  I would enjoy putting either of these two skills to use, if somebody has a freelance job in mind.

• Indulge your bibliophilia! -- I earn a small percentage from anything you purchase through Amazon.com, be it books, music, electronics or diapers.

• Last but not least, if you have no use for the above, but would like to convey a small gesture of appreciation for this blog or any of the various other online projects I maintain (ex. Pope Benedict XVI Fan Club), feel free to make a donation:

Every little bit helps, now more than ever.

Wanted: Part-Time Work

So here's the deal -- my financial situation is somewhat tight at the moment (much like, well, 90% of the country?). Donations would be appreciated, but I'm really not the type to bleg for handouts w/o offering something in return, and given my technical skills I'd like to contribute something to the exchange.

Need a Web Designer?

I do web design and am fluent w/ HTML, CSS and Photoshop. I love to build blogs and/or websites -- you can see the examples of a few by the banners in the margin, and of course there's the Pope Benedict XVI Fan Club. Most of these blogs I've turned out in the space of 2-3 days.

Need an Artist?

Need an artist? -- I'd love some work. Examples of my style and work are available at ChristopherDoodles (Blog).

Over the past years I've produced illustrations for the following:

• logos, album covers and flyers (from folk to metal)
• cards and wedding invitations
• t-shirts
• header or background for a blog / website
• cartooning of all kinds

Much if not most of the work you see here is hand-drawn pen-and-ink. Very basic, although on recent pieces I have taken to adding color in Photoshop (so I can provide the client with high quality black and white AND color versions).

Rates? -- I'm open to negotiation.

Interested? -- Email me at blostopher "at" gmail.com.

Keep this blog alive! -- Help Christopher get a Computer!

With regards to internet access my situation remains the same: my beloved laptop of 4+ years has bought the farm; regular blogging prohibited howbeit I have occasional access to another for email. I rarely use this blog as a vehicle for blegging for myself, but circumstances being what they are ...

In the event my readers, past or present, have appreciated Against the Grain over the years, or my contributions to The American Catholic, Catholics in the Public Square, or my many other online ventures such as The Pope Benedict XVI Fan Club (providing detailed blogging coverage as the Pope's visit to America or visit to the Holy Land or roundups of coverage and commentary on a new papal encyclical) -- or online archives such as those devoted to Hans Urs von Balthasar, Richard Neuhaus and Avery Cardinal Dulles -- and would like to see these ventures continue -- you can assist in this endeavor by clicking on the banner below.

(For the record, I've resurrected an old Mac G3 w/ OS 9. Painfully slow but I'll make do in the interim. That said, I have my eyes set on a used IBook G4 from Ebay).

Help me by helping yourself to a purchase of books (or any other item) from Amazon.com. Every little bit helps, and your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Sophia Institute Press Needs Your Help

Via Jeff Tan (One Bread, One Body), a "bleg" from Sophia Institute Press:

You know, this past quarter-century I've published hundreds of books like The Church on Earth, which, in just a paragraph, can make the difference between faith lost and faith regained.

Indeed, I've brought forth into the world over two million copies of books by the very best Catholic authors, living and dead -- authors whose holiness and wisdom continually draw souls to the Church (the perfect Church) that Christ founded 2,000 years ago.

Now, however, all this is threatened. Slow sales this past summer have left us with an empty checkbook and overdue bills approaching $50,000.

Among those in stock -- Aquinas' Shorter Summa, Dietrich von Hildebrand's Humility: Wellspring of Virtue; Bishop Fulton Sheen's Wartime Prayerbook, among others. Buy a book, or donate if you can.