Oh yay, I’m a total geek again.
It’s been years since I’ve done any kind of legitimate coding/web design. Dro didn’t stop, and now he’s like some kind uber-nerd superhero ninja guy. I have no problem with that. But I have spent the past week doing a lot of reading and tutorials on PHP, and more specifically, creating custom Wordpress themes from scratch. After spending a few days on a custom theme, it’s starting to actually look pretty nice (screenshots or something soon). I’m still struggling with a few things; my footer is being a pain in the ass, and some of the formatting (it’s using two loops in columns for the two different types of posts) is finicky. I also need to figure out a better top menu system, even though the current one works fine. But I’m only a few days into the theme itself and understanding PHP in general, so I’m feeling pretty good about the progress that I’m making. I’m hoping to have the main page mostly working by the end of the week so I can start on the single page view and few of the other custom pages. I’d also really enjoy knowing how to add a search bar to the header without it automatically creating a new line for itself, but I have not found a fix for this either. All in due time, I suppose.
Luckily, it would appear that Dro is back. He had to move, which I guess I was aware of months in advance, but he still disappeared for a week or two, right when I was in need of his sagely advice in the areas of PHP and other things. But he’s back now so I can spend my days hounding him through IM for stuff he probably thinks are insanely simple while he curses at me for bugging him during work or whatever. Just like old times.
Don’t think that means he’s going to be posting a lot again or anything. He’s too busy being a superhero ninja guy. I, however, have very little life and a lot of free time. Right now I’m spending a lot of that time reading a book called The Terror by one of my favorite authors, Dan Simmons. The book is starting a little slow, but the concept is strong enough on its own to make me finish it even if it’s garbage, and nothing he’s ever written has wound up being garbage, so I’m pretty sure he is going to pull it off. <3, Mr. Simmons. Keep it up.
Oh! Also, I pounded out two chapters and another 4000 or so words in my book last night. I managed this because I realized it might be better for the story to pick up at a more interesting point than just progressing in chronological order (got the notion from The Terror, as it really helps to draw me into that book’s story). This allowed me to set up one of the main characters much faster, as well as go back to the first big-ish event through a flashback. This event also allowed me to write about the supposed antagonist characters, something I had not yet done as I figured them out in my head in the years between the first draft and what I am working on now. It was great finally putting them down in words and describing their more complex actions, which work out perfectly in my head, but are a (fun) challenge to describe on paper. This version of the story is already turning out approximately a million times better than what I had written years ago (and thank god for that); I’m very excited to keep working on it. Perhaps I might even get the nerve up to post bits of it on here. We’ll see. I’d like some confirmation that it’s actually halfway decent before I start really throwing it out there for all to see.
And that’s the post.
Anteaturday?
I know; classy, amirite? Anteaters Wearing Sweaters has made me temporarily obsessed with the funny-lookin’ creatures. I’m sure it’ll pass in a week. Much to talk/write about. Read more
Cars, Gas, Money, and Maintenance
Today’s topic is a bit more serious than yesterday. Here’s a bit of back story:
My girlfriend’s car (a 1996 Chevy Lumina) recently died. Long story short, it overheated while she was driving it, we got it checked out, and it has a blown head gasket. Price to fix: at least $1600, just to take apart the engine and find out if the cylinders are warped beyond repair. Not worth it, for a $800 car. So begins car shopping, and why I am writing this post.
There are some rules for car maintenance that I think will help everyone: Read more