Monday, June 23, 2008

Woo Hoo! I'm smarter than I thought I was :)

Or, it could be that my frustration finally won and I could stand it no longer. I don't know if you have even noticed but I've been playing around with the general layout of this blog(changing font colors and sizes, rearranging blogrolls, etc) trying to get ready for my drive-by on August 3rd. Men with Pens will be here to scrutinize all. If you would like a drive-by for your own blog their link is in the left sidebar under "other sites/blogs of interest".

So for over a year now that white space above the left side bar has been driving me crazy...not just a little bit but stark-raving-lunatic-crazy. I know you probably think this is just plain nuts but I do have a diploma in graphic communications(17 years ago) and it just went against my grain that the two columns didn't start at about the same top margin. There was about 2 1/2 inches of wasted space! I need for my readers to be able to see what is on here and what they have access to fairly early in their visit. In my mind the posts I do are just filler(bullshit) and the real reason, or at least what I want to believe is the real reason they come here is for the resources I provide. That 2 1/2 inches of space was just enough space to give visitors enough time to think "@#*&$, this is not what I want". Can't have that...

So this morning I ventured into forbidden land...the "edit layout" "edit html" section in search of what might be that worthless white space. I found one that looked like it, lowered the number, checked it and nada. So I bravely kept searching for what might be it and I found under "page structure" #sidebar-wrapper {bunch of gobbledy gook I knew I would screw up if I messed with it} Then oh, praise Jesus there was under that #sidebar{ margin 0 padding top 170pxj } First I took off the 1 so it would just have 70pxj's and checked it. Hallelujah! The top margin for the sidebar jumped up :) I was thrilled! I continued to play with it until I stopped at 45pxj's and that's where you see it now. But the greatest thing of all is that I conquered my fear of html! There is no telling how this blog will look a year from now :) Of coarse, Men with Pens will probably come over here and say that I needed that white space for looks or something :) That's ok, now I know I can change it back :)

Let me know what you think...like it, don't like it, whatever...

6 comments:

  1. That's very impressive! And I had noticed the links had changed (and it looks smarter now!). I can't in all honesty say that I noticed about the white bit but am very impressed that you managed to work out the html!
    I am just using a standard template and keep pondering what it might be like if I were a bit more adventurous, but I'm actually waiting for my far more technically advanced sister to come and visit me..!

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  2. thanks cb! this is a standard blogger template, that's what scared me so much, that and I didn't download the template before making the changes like it told me to do :) In the beginning I wanted a wordpress site and do still envy those that have mastered wordpress. I tried but could never get very far...it was just way over my head. I tried another one but can't remember which one, bravenet maybe but couldn't figure it out either. Now I'm scared that I might be able to figure them out and if i could then I would feel obligated to move everything over to wordpress... Yikes! the very thought of moving all this stuff just makes me want to take to my bed :) I'm not sure about that blog roll change. I don't particularly care for the font color or the fact that you are not allowed to choose which blogs you want at the top. I liked having you, trench warfare, and bluejeansocial work at the top so I could get to you easily. I want the one's that have taught me the most at the top of the blogroll because that's where I think they deserve to be...even the one's that make me laugh :)

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  3. Haha! Congrats on venturing in and making the change. I had to venture in there the other day. For some reason I suddenly had two headers on my blog and I couldn't figure out why. But I went in and did something (I have no idea what...) and it's back to one! Yay me! :)

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  4. I had to write it down to make sure I went back to the same place...I have a stash of "idiot" notes under my keyboard. Every 6 months or so I take out the stash and see if I can make any sense of what I wrote down so I could remember and if I don't remember wtf it was then it goes in the trash...There is an old saying...part of it goes like this...

    I've gotten use to support hose, the hearing aid in my ear,
    wearing a back support and keeping my glasses near.

    I got use to my arthritis, to my dentures I'm resigned,
    I can manage my bifocals, but Lord, How I miss my mind.

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  5. nice to see the blog going so strong! :)

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  6. Hey! Glad you stopped by! Have missed our conversations!Hope all is well with you and yours :)

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