only 154

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That’s how many posts I have on this damn blog. Not many.

BTW, I’ve seen the light when it comes to typography and using one space after a period instead of two. I know, it’s taken me long enough. Bah.

Currently working on my website design, but as always I’m getting sidetracked by different designs rolling around in my head and various Reader posts to catch up on. I think that it’s imperative to have multiple projects for me to work on though, because I can easily get distracted and discouraged. If I have something else in Photoshop that is also in progress I can quickly jump to that instead and feel more accomplished overall, even if I just get a few things done. Progress!

Last week was 90s music week, but this week I’m scrambling a bit for good tunes to listen to. I have lots of good music but now that I’m in my old iTunes library none of it is speaking to me.

On another note I’ve been blowing off friends lately which is a little odd. Not sure why I’m not getting back to them, but I really just don’t want to deal with it so I ignore it.

That’s about all I have as an update for today. Split pea soup for dinner tonight.

Pushups for 2009-03-11 (42)

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Did the week 2 test to see how many pushups I could do in a row without a break or pause. End result: 22. Just squeaked by to stay in level 2.

A few minutes later I did another set of 10. About 10 minutes after that I decided I hadn’t had enough and did 2 sets of 5 diamond-pushups. Those pretty much totaled my shoulders so I quit for the day. ? 42 is a good number anyway.

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Pushups for 2009-03-09 (100)

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Sets: (120 second breaks)

  • 12
  • 13
  • 10
  • 10
  • 15

For a total of 60 pushups in 10 minutes. Once again, ended feeling like I could do another set or two. So I did. (Last time I did this I hurt myself quite badly, so I’m trying to be careful this time, but I really feel like I could do more!)

  • 10 (60 seconds later)
  • 10 (90 seconds later)
  • 10 (120 seconds later)
  • 10 (120 seconds later)

Bringing the GRAND TOTAL? to: 100 pushups in 15.5 minutes! Officially the most pushups I’ve ever done “in a row”. My arms hurt now, rather a lot. I really hope my chest doesn’t cave in and keep my heart from beating like it did last time I pushed too hard. :-/ (I? exaggerate? slightly, but it *did* keep me home for 3 days because I really? couldn’t breathe and it hurt a lot.)

Okay, between my nice newly cleaner workspace/desk and doing all these pushups I’m feeling pretty good about myself today!

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The problem is only partly the HTML

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After several more tries at mockups in Photoshop I’ve realized that my real problem with doing “design” isn’t a problem with HTML, but with photoshop. When I have the images to use, HTML can look really good fairly easily. But I can’t seem to generate “good enough” images in photoshop.

Pushups for 2009-03-07 (55)

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Sets: (90 second breaks)

  • 10
  • 12
  • 9
  • 9
  • 15

For a total of 55 pushups in 8 minutes. Maybe it’s because it’s right after I got up, but these wore me out a little bit more than I expected. Arms are a little wobbly. I did do Min+2 on the final (as many as you can) set again though!

I will now reward myself by sharing a delicious huckleberry mocha with Bev. If I can hold the cup without splashing all over myself…

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More than just curvy…

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After trying a couple of mockups for the “more curvy” change ? I’ve realized that curves, useful as they are, aren’t as important and texture and lighting. These are the things my designs have been missing!

Gradients, embossing, shadows… Anything to keep the page from being blocks of solid color. These really make a design work, even if it is? based on square boxes.

I think what slows me down is my lack of 100% familiarity with all my options and tools in photoshop. Much like the “technical block” I get when I’m trying to write some music, I get bogged down in the use of the tool rather than the artistic process. I think the only way out is to spend tons of time with your tools and learn everything they can do for you so that when you get the idea “it should have texture like a tree trunk” you don’t have to stop and google “photoshop tree texture” and figure out what to do.?

That little paint pallet that painters use with all the colors on it? For us computer types that pallet is our knowledge of the tool and our library of available effects the tool has.

Guess I better start looking at photoshop brush and texture sites.

Pushups for 2009-03-05 (49)

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Sets: (60 second breaks)

  1. 9
  2. 11
  3. 8
  4. 8
  5. 13

For a total of 49 pushups in 5 minutes.

First time I did over the minimum in the last (as many as you can) set, and actually I feel like I could do a couple more sets. Feelin pretty good.

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“more curvy”

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When the client tells you that they want it to be “more curvy”, and suggests that you go find some inspiration by perhaps watching some girls or something….

Okay, more curvy it is. Why do websites have to be box-based? yrr..

Too many languages!

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My poor brain is starting to go a bit nutty. Too many things going on in too many languages!

  • Working on a project in Ruby/Rails.?
  • Working on WP themes and keeping up my PHP skills.
  • Working on projects in Cocoa/Obj-C (Although that’s mostly? on hold..)
  • Learning the SproutCore framework (lots of javascript!)
  • And ? now I’m looking at Pyhthon and learning the Django for a possible upcoming project.

I’ve never minded working in different languages. The concepts are all the same. But I really do have issues with syntax and remembering what format different languages do. ? Do i need a foreach(i in items), or a for(i=0; i<items.length; i++)? And which initializer does this language/framework use? super()? init()? main()?

I need to find a better way to turn off/on different modules in my memory. Can someone please invent a technique for that?