With this… I can!  Let’s try uploading a photo:

Huh. This is interesting.  I’m not sure if these effects I’m seeing in Windows Live Writer will show up and my images don’t seem to be floating properly, but we’ll see what happens when I publish.

Carry on!

Ok, I’ve since published this and I must say… I’m pretty impressed. I checked out the html code within WordPress and it’s not a big hot mess. And I’m editing it right now within WordPress and it’s keeping all the effects and styling. I don’t know if i’d use this all the time ,but for clients who really need this kind of WYSIWYG type interface, this would be a lifesaver. Kudos, Windows Live Writer!

Color-blind?  Ok, I’ll have to suck it up there – my dad was colorblind (or so I suspect of Mr. Olive Pants-Brown Shoes-Purple Shirt) – but only about 5% of men and less than 1 percent of women are likely to be color-blind so when I hear a reference to something as yellow when it’s orange or vice versa, it’s like nails on a chalkboard to me.  Hopefully, this doesn’t incite the wrath of the color-impaired.

I realize it’s the persnickety designer in me, the part that actually cares about the nuances of ecru vs. tan vs. cream vs. eggshell.  And I realize sometimes people can’t help it and color may be considered somewhat subjective, but I certainly am not going to go outside and declare the sky aubergine simply because that’s how I perceive it (that’s ‘eggplant’ or a deep purple/black with what some might call a slightly red undertone, in case you were wondering).  And no, I don’t think the sky is eggplant.

Teal is another one. Teal and turquoise.  Teal is more green. Turquoise is more blue. And aqua… well, that’s a tough one. Aqua is like turquoise and teal had a very light-colored lovechild.  Don’t tell cerulean.

Pink and coral?   Coral is not orange. Coral is not pink. It’s a combo of the two, hence… coral.  C’mon now.  Ok,  I’ll concede the pink/coral thing could be subjective, I suppose. Some people might see more pink. Some might see more orange.  But basics like yellow and orange? Orange is orange. Yellow is yellow. If it’s more orange than yellow, but it’s still yellow, it’s “orange-ish yellow” or vice versa… yellow-orange.  We have hyphens for a reason. Crayola loves a hyphen. Embrace the hyphen!

Or purple and brown is another. For some reason, I often get references to the color of our business site as being purple.  I see it more in the brown or gray family, leaning toward taupe. “Puce” if you want to get really uptight about it.  But I suspect even seasoned artistes don’t walk around saying ‘puce’ unless they wish to incur a snobbery-induced asskicking.

Why do these minor color infractions bother me so? It’s not the end of the world. It’s just colors. Maybe because color makes up such a prominent part of my life and who I am.  My curtains aren’t blue, they’re pale aqua. My carpet isn’t yellow, it’s Corn Chip. (No, really… that’s the color: Corn Chip. It’s on the label.) My couch is sage, my bedspread is deep rust.  But my living room rug?  That’s orange. If I wanted to get all snooty, I could say it’s “tangerine” or something, but no… it’s straight-up orange at a glance.  There’s nothing inherently wrong with colors being blue or red or green or yellow. The basics have gotten us this far, but descriptions and variations are what make color so exciting for me.

So brown that’s purple or orange that’s yellow?  It’s almost disrespectful to the amazing subtleties of color in everything around us.  It’s color heresy in my book. If you can’t help it, you can’t help it… I feel for you, in fact.

But if you can see all the wonderous colors, why not take a moment to describe them to yourself, to a child, to someone with their eyes closed… or whomever.  Write it down in your journal, whatever blows your dress up.  I find when I stop to admire the little details, I appreciate so much more the tiny differences that make many colors unique in their own right.

I’m sure there will be some of you that won’t care for the new look, prefer a lighter background, want bigger text, like more contrast, wonder why my ‘banner’ is way down at the bottom, wish Brad Pitt were your husband… whatever the case may be. And that’s ok, though Angelina might take umbrage.

So why this look?  Because I wanted to do something different. Because I wanted to experiment with textures and depth. Because I needed to break out of the box a little and at the same time, rekindle some of my joie de vivre! And because well… I like it like that.

*cue Tito Nieves*

Some of you may have noticed I’m taking a break from my long-term relationship with Expression Engine and having a fling with WordPress. It’s not because I don’t love Expression Engine anymore (I still use it for clients).  I just needed to feel the tingles again. You know what I mean?  If WordPress doesn’t sweep me off my feet, I’m sure EE and my blog will meet again… when 2.0 comes out.

If you are so inclined, please check back again to see if any changes have been made. Or, if the look is just not your thing, update your feed.  Muchas gracias.

So, I’m having a cup o’ joe and taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi they’re offering over here at the convention center.  Mike‘s back at the hotel. He’s still feeling under the weather and I’m working on catching it. I think I’m just staving it off until I get home.  Fortunately, working from the couch in my bathrobe is something I do best. 

I still haven’t run into anyone I know. At all. ANYwhere. Really makes me feel out of touch. I wish I had more time in my everyday life to connect with colleagues. I feel like sometimes we’re so busy that we don’t get a chance to come up for air and really network.  Obviously, being busy is a plus, but balance is really the key, I think.  We’re workin’ on it.

Our panel is at 3:30 CST.  I haven’t seen Susie, Peter, Paul or Lisa yet.  I suppose I may have and didn’t know it, but I’m fairly conspicuous with my pink bag and pink shoes and look of complete “holy crap!” so I’m sure they’ll find me. We have to meet in the “green room” at 2:30, which I’m looking forward to, mostly so we can chat about what we’re going to say. “How to Make Money with your Blog Design Skills”… what do I say? What do I say?  Add one part coffee, two parts photoshop. Shake and serve with a CSS garnish?