TypePad help?

Any one reading this use TypePad? I could use a rec for a good tutorial. There are still very basic things that I can't make this do well, like default text to start BELOW a photo. I don't think I should have to code the html with two lines of <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />. And getting two photos side by side (the way Knitting Iris does so well) is an abominable task for me. And I link to Flickr all the time because linking to a TypePad photo album is totally non-intuitive and I haven't sorted out how to just link to an url of an image instead of having to upload it.

Really, images in this have been a hassle and without Flickr there wold be none on this site. It is because I am using a Mac? Is this just easy as pie (how easy is pie, really?) for everyone else.

Thanks!