Month: May 2007

Proof?

I was talking to a friend who was into computers way back when most of us didn’t know what to do with them, who told me he had made a few websites,one devoted to his cat Wokbait,with Dreamweaver. I told him I just use Notepad and he exclaimed you know how to code HTML and CSS?!?! I said yup, I learned the old school way. Which is how I know how stuff works. Well he was impressed. I keep seeing ads for jobs stating that the use of big design software like Dreamweaver is a requirement for the position. Not just use, proficiency. I always wonder what the difference is: if I know how to do what Dreamweaver will do for me by myself, does that mean I am proficient? No, because I am not proficient with using Dreamweaver to design websites.
Anyway, even if I can code by hand I am sure there are things Dreamweaver can do that I can’t. I just haven’t seemed to need it’s help so far. Also I’m not as against this kind of helper program as I used to be because a lot of people who do know how to handcode use it just to make their work faster.

Why I shouldn’t shop for clothes when I am pre-menstrual

All last week I was in a snit because I had to try to find a decent outfit to wear to my Oma’s country club in Sandspoint,L.I.
A and I were making the trip out on Sunday for Mother’s day.
Normally if I am going out and want to look nice I wear a nice shirty-blousy thing and some dark jeans.But I can’t wear jeans to the country club because my Oma has a fit at the sight of them. And since she already thinks everything I wear looks like underwear, I didn’t want to upset her this time around. Also, the club has a rule of no blue jeans in the club house. Needless to say you are all aware that times have changed and that jeans are no longer all blue or only fit for fieldhands,roughnecks,or hobos. But the times have not changed at this club and so I must obey or get Oma in a snit.
My Oma was born in 1919 and her parents were members of this club so you can guess it’s pretty damn old. With ideals to match.Women may not become members only their husbands can. And etc.
I hadn’t seen my Oma in awhile because she was down in Florida for half the year to avoid winter in NY. I wanted to see how she was doing but I was also stressed that she would criticize my appearence when she saw me. I’ve let my hair grow out to a long and messy glory that she would call a scribblepater and I am not that thin.I remain a healthy size 12 and she is a bird boned 6.She has always been a birdboned 6 whereas I have not always been a size 12…which brings me to the shopping nightmare I went through last week. Being a size 12 is ok, I can find a lot to wear in a 12 that doesn’t look too much like a muu muu. But being a puffy size 12 with body dismorphia brought on by premenstrual battshitness is different. I spent about 100 dollars on clothes and will return all of it tomorrow. Since I can’t pick out anything decent when I am totally insane, it all has to go back because it looks quite bad on me.In the end I wore a very nice satin tunic with a mandarin collar over black pants. Both of which I already owned.

Yay(I’m getting paid)

I’m actually going to get paid for my latest web design job! Ok, I have gotten paid for other jobs,don’t worry. It’s just that it wasn’t that much. If you go to the portfolio section of mccormicky.comyou’ll see a list and thumbnails of the sites I have totally handed off(with the exception of the simran/timeless/lineska site which seems to never want to get done)
I am designing a few sites for free,too.

My last and sort of current client posted an ad stating webdesign would be paid for with “store credit”. I needed portfolio bolstering but I really hated this idea…I would have to had to go into to the city to take advantage of the deal and the products were spoilable, i.e: food and drink,
not something that I could place much value on.The other thing was the bar environment put me off.I’m glad to say my days of sitting on a barstool are over.And I do not like Midtown where the lounge is located.

So I ventured the idea that they could pay me money instead.They were so happy with the site and the gallery I set up for photos of their parties & their regulars(with comments and photo hits and an admin section,thanks Phormer!) that they said yes right away.They doubled what I timidly asked for.I was quite shocked. I’d figured they were going to balk at the idea of paying me I never dreamed they’d actually be so pleased they’d cut me a check.

The gallery is what sold them,I’m sure.I talk almost daily with the bar manager (who keeps breaking the gallery by uploading pics that are too big 🙁 ), and he is a huge fan of myspace.So he got the comment idea right away.The cool thing about Phormer is not only can you comment a photo but the comments can be replied to by the administrator.So each pic can have it’s own threaded discussion! It’s a very cool thing, this Phormer gallery.

I am starting to think this whole freelancer thing might just work.