The New Challenge

Now that I have found and embraced this recent comfort zone relating to technical aspects of my blog, I feel the need to find out, learn, discern, get a grip on something new and exciting to spiff up this blog.

I am basically a "follow the prompts til I don't understand anymore and give up" kinda computer user/abuser. I have to show extreme intestinal fortitude and strength of character in order to step outside my box. But when I have set my eyes on the same old same old for too long, I find that strength eventually.

My computer education such as it is, has come by way of accident and mishap. As I said earlier, I love the prompt system. It has served me well enough to stumble my way to certain levels. When the prompts stop getting me the fix I need, I wing it. After too many crashes, bashes, and meltdowns because of my anarchistic loose dog manipulations, I did actually learn some basics. The big one being -

"Save often or be willing to sacrifice that which you have created"

With this rule firmly implanted by years of not following it, I now venture forth with the knowledge that I will screw it up but everything is fixable. But I still allow my misplaced fear of the unknown make me hesitate, pause, and reflect. Nothing pisses me off more than 4 hours wasted with the blink of a byte gone bad. Nothing drives me crazier than being lost in the "Help" jungle without a clue of what word to search out next.

But the itch always wins out. Time to scratch it.

My new challenge may seem a baby step or even a crawl to many if not most of you HTML savvy folks out there. Well, if not for bozos like me, you wouldn't get the chance to feel superior and be right. So bear with me okay? Go ahead and smile though. I find my stupidity a constant source of comedic relief also. Just not when fully engaged with brain out to lunch.

First a brief replay of my blogging evolution:

~2004 - One Miss Koffee Brown, famous former moderator with a serious attitude on the BF Forums mentioned she had a blog. I had heard of them, but had no clue what they were. I visited hers (Did not last long) and figured I could do it too.

Signed up with Blogger and went for it. Dove right in. Could not figure out how to post pictures, but quickly learned how to change the font and color. I hit the blogging world sure I would set it on fire. Discovered quickly there were also 400 million other folks who figured the same thing. Performers with no audience.

~2005 and 2006 - Happy as if I had a brain, I was sure someone would stumble by eventually. I was wrong. But I decided to not care and kept at it, even if sporatically. I liked to write and here was the perfect weapon to use. Even if for my eyes only. I did pick up the ability to link.

~2007 - I decided that my blog was a sad place. No zip, no growth. Whenever I visited other blogs, they were always showing some new hook or gadget that kept their blogs fresh. Suffering a severe case of Blog Envy, I searched out and found the right prompts in Blogger, Photobucket, and my hard drive and voila! I could post images. At the time it seemed an Everest, an epic computing adventure. As it turns out, it is the tip of the ice berg.

~2008 The here and now. The blank slate. Unfulfilled dreams of computing geekness just waiting to be served up. So what on the menu is next?

HTML and how to get it to post captions with my images.

Yes, it is a small insignifigant part of what blogs are capable of. Something that is taken for granted and there is probably a prompt for it if I knew where to look. But after learning what HTML meant a few months ago, I am also interested in finding some knowledge and ability in it's application.

Wish me luck. Light a candle.

The Afterword and Beside the Point

I am sure a few readers who would assume I only created this post so I could post the image at the top. Knowing even the slightest bit about my make up and character could give that impression. I am a guy afterall and for some reason, we guys just love jugs.

But honestly and no foolin. I wrote this well in advance of finding this image in Photobucket. I felt it had everything I wanted. A clever hook for the post and as a bonus, some jugs. Slightly tasteful with a hint of obnoxious. A win/win situation.