Redesign

The First Week

Well I made it through the first week working at DigiMedia and I gotta say, I loved it. It is a bit of a big change from freelancing from home but I was expecting that. I love having to go to work each day and being around other developers and designers and working on larger projects. I spent most of this week in Photoshop cranking out graphics. The rest of the time was spent finishing a WordPress project that was already started. Fixing errors, setting up some new plugins, and other things of that nature. I got a crash course on their Ad Manager which is just massive and look forward to messing with it more and ending up giving a quick class on WordPress to some retail people. Overall it was a pretty good week and I think I will enjoy working there. Another plus with the new job is having to learn Ruby. As you know, I’ve wanted to for awhile but client work always got in the way. However, with most of the work at DigiMedia being done in Ruby this gives me a chance to finally learn it. I have some books that I’m going through and several people I can turn to for help if needed.

Besides starting the new job this month we will also be moving in the coming weeks. We are still debating on a house or apartment, either way we plan to rent. Between me just starting the new job and Melissa planning to change from online classes at Uni of Phoenix Online to local classes here at Midwestern State University for nursing starting in January we just aren’t sure what would be better for us. Either way it will only be for 2-3 years.

I am also attempting to finish my redesign. I posted a screen of it on flickr awhile back and got lots of great feedback. I have started coding it to WordPress and just about done with the main page but still have several things to do. The problem is client work is on top of my list right now and taking up most of my evenings and weekends so I’m having to make time for my projects which right now there just isn’t enough of. I would like to have it done by the end of the month. As next month is full as well between getting settled into the new place and taking a mini-vacation to Kansas to see Melissa’s grandparents.

Moving One More Time

Update: We have delayed our moving until August. So, not rushing into the move just yet…

We have been living in Wichita Falls, TX for about 10 months. Our lease on our current apartment is coming to an end next month. They don’t do month to month here and don’t allow full-time students and as Melissa (currently not counted as full-time because she does online classes) will be going full-time at the local college we can not renew our lease here. So, we had to start hunting. We found an apartment complex that we really like just a block down the street (nice not to have to move far). Apartments are better for us at the moment because; 1 we haven’t lived here long and 2 I’m a freelancer and she goes to school full-time and works. So, money although not really tight is something we have to manage between months that I have low work. So, for now it is apartments which isn’t bad.

Today we put in our application and paid the holding fee for an apartment at a complex a block down the street called Tealwood Apartments. This place is really nice and isn’t going to break us. The complex is pretty new and well taken care of. Here are some of the key features for us.

1. Private Gated Community (Security Cameras, Key Access Gate, etc)
2. Children’s Play Areas
3. Huge Walk-In Closets
4. Full-Size Washer/Dryer Hookups
5. 2 Full Bathrooms
6. Breakfast Bar, Ice Maker, Dishwasher, Garbage Disposal, Pantry
7. Just a block down the street

We love the idea of a gated complex for that extra security factor and key access at the gate. The apartment is a really good size (about the same size we are in right now which is nice). It has 2 full bathrooms which is always nice. Right now we have a 3/4 bathroom in our room which is nice not to have to clear the kids toys from the tub to take a shower. It also has a little storage closet (basically a walk-in closet by the front door) which will be nice as we planned to get a small storage shed for our camping and holiday tubs. Having a washer & dryer will be really nice and of course save money. Another plus is it has a ‘bonus’ room (which is a room that sticks out from the living room). It is the perfect size for an office (which I’ve needed since going freelance full-time). Below is a layout of the apartment (click to enlarge). We are really looking forward to the move. We are not rushing this time though. We don’t put our 30 Days notice until June 1st here and they don’t have the apartment ready until June 7th so we have time to pack and get moved right instead of always being rushed like in the past. You can also view a picture of the outside here.

In other news; next month I will be putting up my redesign (yeah, it is just about ready). I am also moving my blog to a new domain (no, I’m not posting it because I haven’t bought it yet, that reminds me that I need to though). Still play to use this domain but moving to a new one.

A Great Start [The Diet]

I thought I would post a little update regarding my weight loss goal. As you know I have taken the steps needed to drop some weight and get healthy. We started with our eating habits and took out a lot of fast food (including my 4th Meals at Taco Bell). We cut my daily 5 Pepsi’s along with whatever other unhealthy food I could eat. This has been going on for about 2 months now. Then just over 2 weeks ago we joined a gym for me to actually get serious and drop some weight. Going to the gym has been great for me and I already feel more active during the day then I ever did before. I have enjoyed going in the mornings and doing some cardio and weights. Another plus is I’m finally staying caught up on the podcasts that I follow. I have noticed several things including feeling great during the day after the workout and that is I had to move my belt up a notch 3 days ago. This isn’t a big thing for some but I have tried diets before and was even a member of a gym before (long time ago) and didn’t stick with it this long nor take it this serious. So, this has been a huge step forward for me which I am loving. I’ve gotten nothing but support from family and of course those who follow me here and on twitter. The support from everybody has been a huge plus in sticking with it but I gotta say that I love the way I feel after a good workout in the morning even when I’m a little sore at times. So, to recap The Diet is going great as I’m not only dropping the weight (what little I have for now), I feel great at the same time, keeping up with eating healthy, and love the support from others. So, thank you to everybody who offered support and have asked me on twitter how it’s going, it means a lot.

On a site note; you should be prepared for a new design very soon. I’ve only been working on it for several months now and after trashing 4-5 versions I finally have one that will see light. Its a minimal design which will be great. Not sure when it will be ready but I hope sometime in April. Plan to start doing some more video blogs then as well. Just a warning.

Jericho

We spend a lot of time watching TV shows. A few our TiVo catches and the rest I stream from the laptop to the Xbox 360. We just don’t have the time to spend watching tv when the networks want us to so we hardly ever watch live tv. I recently got Season 1 of Jericho. I had heard of Jericho but had never watched it and didn’t know much about it. After reading that a few people I follow were excited for season 2 and reading more about the show it grabbed my attention. So, we had to get season one. We are about half way through the season and I gotta say its an awesome show. I’m lovin’ the characters, the plot, the mystery and the sub-plots. We hope to finish season one in time for season two. Another show that I have never watched but just got the first season of is ‘Dexter’. We plan to start watching it after we finish Jericho. Since the WGA Strike has limited most of the shows we do watch during the Fall/Spring to just a few final episodes (like Bones, House, Cold Case, Criminal Minds, etc) we needed something else to fill the void. We don’t watch reality tv at all (however I’m loving American Gladiators so far) so this fills the gap as we watch maybe 2 hours of live tv a week.

On another note; Blog 365 won’t happen for me. Not enough happens around me for me to have something to blog about daily and I don’t want to waste my time and yours on posting minor things of no interest. I know several other people who are also having a problem with quantity vs quality for Blog 365(6) but for me it just won’t work. Posts will pick up next month when I start video blogging though and doing Me Todays (not daily but a few times a week). The redesign is just about done and will be launched sometime in February. I’m not sure when but shooting for the middle of the month or the end of the month. Might post a screenshot in the coming days though.

Wireframe

I’ve been working on a wireframe for this site for months. Actually started it last summer and have trashed several versions of a redesign. I think I have finally gotten a design that I like and plan to actually finish and put online. My plan is to get it finished and up in February. I am making several changes for 2008 and even more next month and figure its the best time to launch a new design. I’m not ready to post a screen of it yet but a few select people have seen it and I’m looking forward to their opinions and we will see how things go from there. So, look forward to a redesign sometime next month.