Thursday, March 24, 2011

The New Header

Anybody reading this on the blog, as opposed to through Google Reader or whatever, can see that I've fooled with the layout. That's because I went to Heather Powers's workshop on niche blogging over the weekend, and she was real clear about the need for visuals.

This presents a problem for me, because I'm a text-based gal. I think in text. I barely even read picture books when I was little, but went straight to ones with chapters. I don't even own a digital camera. It's on my "to buy" list, but other things keep seeming more urgent - like books, brakes, books, fabric, books, professional memberships, books, saving Planned Parenthood, books, working plumbing, books...

So I don't have a lot of usable image files. I kind of wanted a line of pics under the title representing different idea sources: Art. Nature. Science! History. Play. But I couldn't make things line up and size right and anyway I didn't have great pictures for all of it. So I went with the best picture I ever took.

That's Bruce. He's in one of the columns from the front of our house, two of which the workmen dropped when they were fixing our porch in 2008.

This one split into seven pieces and had to be glued back together in the side yard.
Bruce, being boss cat, of course had to inspect the work.

I can't find a good font color that will stand out against all parts of the picture, so I'll probably change it sooner or later, but like I said, it's the best photo I ever took, and it's even metaphorically appropriate.

No, really. Because you've got a cat representing curiosity, and the column representing a whole pieced together out of fragments, and because people who see this picture out of context immediately start creating a context for it, the hollow column becoming a gigantic mouse hole or something.

Yeah, yeah, I'll get the digital camera. Probably before the cell phone. Which I still don't want, even after my experience with Moby in Austin. Every time I think I might want one, I see a cell phone commercial and my soul revolts. At least I can take research pictures with a digital camera. Can you say tax deductible? I thought you could.

By the way - we have our tax refund now. It was delayed because I once again used their forms with my SSN on them, and they file our return under Damon's SSN. This confuses them every year. This year I've got forms I have to fill out the SSN on, and the plan is to use his. Let's see if that confuses them even worse. Meantime - have you done your taxes yet? Times a-wastin'!

3 comments:

  1. I totally relate except I'm a visually oriented person. Words don't come easy to me. I'll usually decide on what I'll write about a day before or the day of posting then I'll just type a word or two just to get something on the screen. After that I'll write a little throughout the day until I get something I like.
    I've got a little digital camera from Walgreens that was given to us by my mother-in-law as a Christmas present a couple of years ago and we love it. It's the most valuable tool I have as an artist and blogger. When I'm short on words the images help squeeze them out.
    I didn't get to make the blogging workshop. The remnants of a nasty bout with the flu a few days before cut my day short that Saturday. Oh, well. I hope there's another this year.

    Alberto Ramirez Jr.

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  2. I saw the picture of the cat when I first logged on to your blog, but then it turned solid black. So I don't know what's going on. (And you're right, the words are hard to read against some of the background.)

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  3. Alberto, this is the second of Heather's blogging workshops I've attended, the first being right before I started this one (and my final impetus to do so). So if you don't have another chance this year, maybe she'll do it again next year.

    As for my new header; argh, I wonder why it turns black for you, Bish? I'll have to get people to look at it in different browsers and take advice on what to do about it. And are you having trouble with just the header, or with the whole page? In my browser it's all clear and readable - I tweaked it till it was - but I can see where a different degree of transparency, or reformating for a different screen size, would screw it all up. The blogger templates need buttons wherein you can try out your layout in systems not your own. Actually every webdesign tool needs that.

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