ChapterZero

This website has been served over a really slow connection ever since I moved hosting to l33t.ca. That was enough to make me cry- here I have all the features I could possibly want in a host, and start developing a tight website, and it takes so long to load that no one will visit it, including myself. But, I hung in there because it is such a cool host, and I already invested so much on this setup. Getting to the point, the l33t admins said that Real Soon Now the connection speed is going to be kicked up. How soon is soon enough? Yesterday…

So now, I think I’ll start focusing on making the site ready for primetime- having actual visitors who might be interested in seeing some *real* content. Last night I found a cool resource by the same people that make ikonboard, called textswap. It’s exactly like a banner swap except done with text links. So it’ll be nice and inobtrusive, and I think maybe the sites using TextSwap will be a little more likely to attract a crowd that would find my site interesting than bannerswap sites. I know, a big generalization, but that’s how I feel.

I also signed up for about 4 free websites, all under portland.co.uk. I have no idea what for, but the going was good, so I got going.

Possibly relevant posts:

• Internet road trip (9/27/2002)
• Away for Christmas (12/22/2001)
• shopping, reading, and blogging (12/28/2001)

Posting to this blog is a dangerous luxury to allow myself. There is so much of a chance that exactly the people I don’t want to find it, will. But that’s part of the thrill I guess…

Yesterday I uploaded my first oswd design– MindShare. As you’ll note if you visit their site though, it’s not been accepted. They’re not taking designs with images, and the bgs are an integral part of the design’s impact, so I’ll wait until they do accept images, which should be soon. I might be using the ‘MindShare’ design for my MindShare site though. That was actually the origin of the project. Would you believe I spent 10+ hours on that template; as my sister said when I told her that, I have no life. It was fun though, being able to produce something of artistic worth, something I can truthfully say is better than nine-tenths of the designs @ oswd. So, I’ll keep trying my hand at it, and maybe someday I’ll be an accomplished webkiddie. Which reminds me, I need a new template for this blog page… Any suggestions? My main problem with designing is I like to be original and rely mostly on HTML and CSS without embedded images. So my designs end up blocky, which isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just so trendwhorish. And I’m not a trendwhore. *Ugh*

Well, since I’ve been back from vacation, as my father says, I basically haven’t taken a breather from the computer. That’s probably because I feel the pressure of school coming up, and I’d like to get all the [design] work on the sites through with before I return. Speaking of which, I’ll probably start moving back in on Friday. I called to go in early for hall council training, and the housing people are like “we don’t open early, and I have no idea what you’re talking about.” *Sigh*, at least I tried to crawl out of my general lethargy and do something moderately social. Oh, and a friend called me yesterday to say (he’s now moving into the dorms for the first time) he’s going to be sharing a wall with me. Those will be interesting times…

Well, I’ve written alot more than I intended too. Actually, I’m only up so early because I promised to press my parents’ work-clothes last night and forgot, so they woke me up to do it. And then I got on the computer to check and see if my design had been posted @ oswd, with the intention to get right off and return to bed to read. Best laid plans… as usual, the temptation to wander all over the net plain was too great. So here I am, about to go actually. I need too, my hands have been put through a lot and my CTS is acting up. So I’ll *try* to give it a rest today.

Possibly relevant posts:

• Away for Christmas (12/22/2001)
• More Just So Stories (5/28/2002)
• LaTeX blogs– sounds sexy! (8/3/2001)

I love this instant post feature of MT. Well, I got in last night, and actually wasn’t tired enough that I was able to put up all my clothes and wash the wares (s/wares/dishes for all you americocentric folk). Then I talked with a friend I haven’t talked to in a while; it’s funny actually- the reason I don’t talk to him often is he goes to school in the NE (Cornell), and when he did come home for vacation, I went to the NE.

Anyway, I’m already suffering from ennui and hunger. Why does it always seem like there’s nothing to eat in this house? And I know I’m not the only person that thinks so. Spent most of my day cerebralizing and dlling tools for working on my website. In an unprecendented attempt to flex my [congenitally atrophied] artistic muscles, I drew a mouse in Illustrator, it looks ok, but what am I going to do with it? I really enjoyed the book I was reading today, I found that even though it took me about two minutes to read just one page, the author’s writing style is comfortable. I think if I were ever to seriously practice writing, my style would be a lot like his; or maybe, I would like it to be so. He writes with true class: his vocabulary is varied and well-informed, but he fits words in where they belong and fit comfortably, both in terms of connotation and denotation. It’s like the context screams out for that one right word, and he satisfies it, and the book beams with pleasure :). Anyway, he also has a nice, understated sense of humor, and an impressively broad and deep background. I’m definitely going to search out his three other books …

My father’s back to being the intransigent, pedantic, overbearing personality he usually is. Apparently our trip was the only respite I’ll have from him this vacation. What’s sad is that, if he would just say what he has to say once, and then shut up both verbally and expressively, then we could get along just fine. Of course, it would certainly be conducive to a closer relationship if he would accept me for myself, instead of trying to mold me into a mini-him. And stop telling me what I’m thinking– or trying to anyway.

Possibly relevant posts:

• Remarkable Relevance (2/7/2002)
• I Like You (4/4/2008)
• Awesome email posting abilities of Wordpress (8/30/2004)