Update: Exploder replaced, and debt much increased.

[Kris@WLP]

The Exploder has been replaced. For those curious to see the replacement (a 2003 Honda Odyssey LX), here's the photos and stuff:

http://redneckgaijin.livejournal.com/437381.html

Rounding to the nearest dollar, this van cost me $6,279. That was every penny I had in the bank... and a bit more besides. And no, financing was NOT offered. The balance got put on a credit card. (Granted, that balance will be shuffled around so that I get over a year at 0% interest, but it's still on plastic.)

In addition, I put off paying my shirt printer for his share on consignments he gave me for the past two conventions (San Japan and AnimeIowa).

On top of that, I put every single expense I had during the AnimeIowa trip on plastic too- so I'd have the maximum possible cash in the bank, actual cash, for either a down payment or complete purchase of a new vehicle. That was roughly $400 in gas, $200 in hotels, and $100 in food.

And, as the icing on the cake... the Sunday before the wreck itself, I took advantage of a 0% interest offer at Wal-Mart to buy a new laptop, a new TV-DVD combo for taking to conventions, and a portable power supply (which, it turns out, only runs a laptop for about five hours at maximum charge). I'd expected to make payments and clear out that debt in about three months.

So, giving you, the WLP fan/donor, hard numbers where I have them, the debt run up due to the Exploder wreck is as follows:

Shirt printer owed: $833.90
Credit card #1 bill: $1,354.36
Credit card #2 bill: approx. $900
Credit card #3 bill: approx. $100
Gas credit card bill: approx. $400
0% transfer credit card bill: $400

Total near-term debt: aprox. $4000

Yeah. $4000, of which I admit about $1000 pre-dated the death of the Exploder.

And right now, held against emergencies (and a certain convention which is supposed to bill me for my booth Any Day Now), is about $600 remaining in the bank.

Now, since I first asked for your help with replacing the Exploder, you've done a good bit to help. Direct donations to WLP add up to $230. Donations to WLP's webcomics (half of which is owed to artists) added another $35. And mail orders added another $229.58, for a total income (not counting AnimeIowa) of $494.58 since the wreck.

Of course, that's all spent now.

So, one more time, I'm nudging you, the WLP fans and followers, to donate/order and help WLP pay off the plastic and get back to producing shirts and comics and stuff.

http://www.wlpcomics.com/exploder.html

Now, I need to go pack up orders and gifts for donors to ship out tomorrow... while I start on preventative maintenance for the van. I'm taking as good care of this one as I can find the money to... it's got to last me a decade, you know.