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Kiwi
(EDIT – Gravatar’s are working. See the comments. I expect EVERYBODY to have one by tomorrow! 
)
I’m sorry to say that while I’m in overhaul mode there are going to be a ton of geeky posts/rants/plugs. Getting everything to fall into place has been a DREAM because of the user support I’ve received thus far. But before I get too ahead of myself…
The new look for the site is based on at “theme” called kiwi. I say “theme” because it really is SO MUCH MORE than that. It’s an entire backbone. The stock theme has numerous hacks that come with it but it’s still mindboggelingly easy to install and get set up. Upload files, activate plugin, activate theme, BAM YOU ARE DONE. When it worked flawlessly the first time I was confused. I hit refresh a few times expecting SOMETHING to error or die or SOMETHING!
Since then I’ve been tweaking the code and css to customize it to my liking. It’s 99% PHP which I thought would be a bit challenging but I’m amazed at how quickly I’m starting to grasp it. This, is mainly because of the amazing help found on the forum. My prior experience with tech forums has been deplorable (SEE: WordPress Forum). Kiwi’s forum is so fantastic that I’ve found the answer to EVERY question I’ve had by a simple search and the answers are straight forward, polite and not littered with egotistical BS. It’s been… ENJOYABLE.
There is still so much more to do and I’m looking forward to all of it. A short list:
1) Adding gravatar to the comments. Do you commenters have an account? Would you get one?
2) Getting all the pages set up. Content people. It’s all being renewed, rewritten and recoded. It’s going to take ahwile. As they get done the links will appear in the top navigation of the page.
3) Index. The index needs more work. It’s a little too cluttered for my taste but I’m trying different things to see what I want to keep and what I want to get rid of.
4) flickr badge. I’m contemplating getting rid of the gallery. It’s taking up a TON of space and I can put it all on flickr at no cost to me and really, I don’t think all those pictures are getting viewed. Well, I KNOW they aren’t. I need to stop uploading EVERY SINGLE PICTURE and just get up the GOOD ones.
5) Get some stock banners made. For instance this one will be used whenever I make a post about kiwi. I can have another for posts about Cassidy. Etc. Of course I’ll be adding specific pics for specific posts. This is one of my favorite features of the entire site and I plan on using it. A lot.
6) Get date stamps on posts. Plus other slight customization.
7) Go to bed and sleep. I have to be at work at 6:00AM.
STOP THE LIST
Once all of this is done I’ll get a color scheme up and put “final touches” up. The gray and orange is nice but I have something softer in mind. I just don’t want to focus on that till the content is where I think it should be at.
So much to do. So much fun.
27
It will all make sense soon.
The post you are reading now in the gray box is the most recent post which will always live in the grey box. Hopefully in the next day or two I’ll get a time/date stamp up here somewhere.
The picture up there at the top of the post will change when new posts are added. Some might get recycled. I’ll try as much as possible to get new and exciting(!!) stuff up there.
The list of post exerts listed below read from left to right. Start at the top of the left column and read down then go to the right column. Again, in the next few days I’ll get some date/time stamps in there so it will make more sense.
The box in the top right will contain two “featured postsâ€. One’s that I or you deem funny or insightful enough to spotlight.
The “elsewhere†spot at the bottom I’m toying with. I think that might turn into a place for me to plug random people and cool little interweb thingies I come across. We’ll see.
All the content will get put up as it’s finished. I think I’ve had “coming soon†pages up for almost a year now on certain stuff and it makes me feel like a slacker. I don’t mind slacking at work, but not on my free time and posted for the world to ridicule.
The rest is yours to explore.
27
It needs to find its MoJo.
In the next day or two I’m going to start implementing some major changes to the site. I’ve looked and I’ve coded and I’ve brainstormed and I’ve pulled more hair out than I’m willing to admit. It comes down to I’m just not happy with the way it’s turning out. I need something more grown up. More structured. More… complete. As it stands now, it’s in a constant state of flux because no matter what I come up with I just can’t seem to ‘feel’ it. It’s… lost its MoJo.
While I’m sticking with WordPress I’m going to be using a completely different structure. A whole new backbone. Something that I’m not used to. Something that is coded entirely in PHP. Something that I’m going to have to learn from the ground up. So what I’m saying is bare with me while I break it 1658 ways in the process.
And I’m sorry Dad but there are going to be downtimes and that lovely construction page you love so much!!
26
The obligatory Christmas Post.
Ben and I opened our presents Saturday night. Mostly because I’m impatient and a kid when it comes to opening presents. Because they sit there, under the tree, mocking you every time you walk by. It’s TORTURE!! 
I got my sewing machine. I am so stupidly happy about this. I know that most of you out there that know me are like… SEWING MACHINE??!?! But it’s something I’ve wanted to learn for awhile. I always see curtains I like in the store that are the wrong fabric, or a nice fabric in a horrible cut. Now I can make them myself. It’s the same thing with clothes. Some of the cutest things I’ve seen lately are the Do-It-Yourself fashions posted on blogs and craft sites. So I’m sure as I learn I’ll be posting pics. And I’m sure some of the early failures will make for some fantastic blogs.
I also got some gift cards that I’m excited to go out and USE. Fredericks, Pier 1, and Sears! The Sears one Ben got me to start buying painting supplies so I can get rid of the AWFUL pink that haunts our every moment in the kitchen, computer and living room. It’s pink people. PINK! Soon it will be a nice soothing green to match the tile in the kitchen and the yellow on the rest of the walls that I love already.
Yesterday I cooked my turkey. Instead of getting an entire bird I just got a boneless breast roast. Then I made the normal mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole and biscuits to go with it. It was horribly yummy. And we have lots ‘o leftovers.
The rest of the day we played video games. We were training for the Lazy Olympics. I finally got dressed at 9:00PM so we could go we a 10:00PM DLP showing of Narnia. I actually thought they did a great job. They sucked me in early enough that I didn’t spend the whole movie comparing it to the book and genuinely enjoyed the movie for what it was, a movie based on a favorite childhood book.
Today I desperately need to clean the house and get some laundry done and prepare for Cassidy’s return tonight from her dad’s so she can open her presents and tear up the clean house in a fraction of the time I’ll spend cleaning it today. I can’t wait to have her home.
