Code is Beautiful?

I think not.

My hubby has been studying computer stuff regarding HTML and XML. I thought he was learning Greek... I took a website design class when I was working in Salt Lake, and it was fascinating, but still not very clear. I got how to use the software, but wasn't entirely sure what to do with it.

Now I've been trying to update my blog, I like a fresh face once in a while. Especially since I started a new one relating to food -- I wanted a template that pictured food. All I could find was pizza and chocolate. Now, while I like pizza -- if that template had been around 5 years ago I would have been thrilled -- and love chocolate in moderation (can you tell I'm not young anymore?), I didn't like the look of either of them. I also wanted to get a different look for this blog, thinking it was time for something less "in your face"...grin. That hasn't been working either.

You see...I've found that the way things look make a big difference in how many people read your blog, or visit a web site. Remember how many times I've said Beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Well that's definitely true when it comes to the internet.

Think about it. How many times do you go to a site and find it cluttered with adds, flash items, bright colors, etc. My first impulse is to close it down. I don't like sites that shout at me. I like ones that are easy to navigate, and easy on the senses.

I've been frustrated being tied to what someone else can create (especially when I have to see what's available for free...grin). Why can't I design my own? Not that I'm good at that sort of thing -- I think I've bemoaned my lack of creativity before. I may be an artist, but that doesn't mean I can come up with stuff off the top of my head. (grin -- I wish!)

So, I'm stuck with what I can find, or else I play with what I've got. I found a couple that I thought I could work with, but they aren't loading onto blogger like they need to. What's a girl to do?? Well, I figured I'd open my Dreamweaver program and see if it could help me. While it opened the code, it just tells me that there is problems with it and I'm not sure I know enough to figure it out.

There are loads of different pages out there, lots of people with apparently endless hours of time to spend on this project. It's amazing. For example, take the LDSNeighborhood site. It's extremely easy on the eyes, easy to navigate, and fun to walk around. For contrast, look at this site. This site's moving top bar and barrage of photos and items may be some people's dream, but this would drive me crazy. I wouldn't go to their site very much...if at all.

I realize these are two very contrasting view points, but I'm trying to illustrate a point. That's what I do...grin...illustrate. My, am I in a mood today...lol.

I thought perhaps you haven't been able to visit all the bloggers that grace the ldsneighborhood site, so I'll highlight a couple of them today in an effort to illustrate the different looks of each blog. Most of them used the regular Blogger template. Some of them have modified things.

First on the block, from left to right of the neighborhood, is New Neighbors. The blogger for this section is Cheri Crane, talented poet and photographer. Her blog is the green dot theme, which I have used as well, and is fun and light.

Next up is Health and Food. We have Keith Fisher and Candace Selima here. Keith blogs about wonderful, yummy things to do with Dutch Oven cooking, and has a customized header on his blog. Candace blogs about assorted health tips and her blog is a great template that looks like blue jeans.

In the Music block, Julie Keyser is the blogger, and today has a guest blogger. It looks very interesting, and I like the customized header on her's too. Great job, Julie!

And last for today, but NOT least, is C.L. Beck with the Write Up My Alley blog. Her's is a regular blogger style, and one that I have also used in the past. I like the soft green -- I think it's relaxing and doesn't distract from her hilarious blogs!

So anyway, that's all I've got time for today, but I hope I got you thinking about the beauty we find on the internet and how complicated it can be!

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Is it Real or Is it Memorex...

Remember that old commercial? Well, I think it has lots to do with our lives. My husband has been struggling with the idea of going back to school. It's not something you consider lightly at our age, and he's worried about the expense, the time, etc. We've prayed about it forever, but he never feels like he's gotten an answer. Instead, he feel that something is always getting in his way to stop him. Same thing with exercise -- but that's another topic.

For example: We've had issues with our internet connection in the past, but over the past couple of months we haven't had any problems. It's on all the time, never blips out and remains steady. Until Wednesday. See, he had to do a conference call, and look at a powerpoint presentation at the same time as the call. Suddenly, the internet was down and he couldn't look at the powerpoint. sigh.

Then, yesterday, he had his first assignment he was doing. The internet's been up most of the day, does down the minute he sends the first part of the assignment, before he can send the second part. Seem a bit odd to you? Did to me too...but it's always the same thing. It's taken since January to get this whole thing going because they had lost part of his information and we had to resend it.

One could blame it on gremlins in the wires, opposition in all things, or one could wonder if the Lord is trying to tell us something. Something we haven't been able to hear yet. My first impulse is that satan is REALLY working overtime on this puppy and couldn't he just give it a break? I mean, good grief!

My hubbies first impression is that perhaps he isn't supposed to be doing this. sigh. I think it's time to go talk to the Bishop, but I don't know if he will. It's just another road block in the many we've had in the past couple of years. It's hard for him to be positive about it.