gallery D

Yesterday morning as I was getting ready for school, I glanced out the window into the backyard and was totally caught off guard by a steady stream of snow charging towards the ground. I had heard there may be some snow in areas west of us, but the latest weather report I saw for our neighborhood called for temperatures in the 40s and no precipitation. Granted, that had been a few days before.

When I lived in Blowing Rock, checking the weather forecast was a daily — and often hourly — ritual. Unpredictability was the nature of the game, and a little change here or there could have a huge impact on my plans for the day or business flow at work.

Working at a newspaper, I saw it as part of my responsibility to stay as informed as possible about as many things as possible, including national news and politics, local government, behind-the-scene politics, crime, social happenings, school issues, and weather. Always trying to stay a few steps ahead of the game has a way of sapping the excitement out of surprises. Now that I no longer spend my days in a newsroom, I try to avoid the over-saturation of information that has characterized my life for so long. Sometimes, I may even go a whole week (or two) without glancing at the weather report. I might not be able to get by with this in some places, but for right now, facing a few rainy days here and there without an umbrella is well worth the occasional surprise snowfall…not to mention the peace of mind.

I’ve added a couple new photo galleries, finally getting some of the pictures from Rhett’s & Sayla’s wedding online. Take a look.

It’s been a while since galleryD has gotten any real attention from me, so I figured it was time for a major overhaul. After an epic battle to the death with my CSS editor, the new site is now live on a new hosting client. I wanted to have a little more control over the way the site operated, but the downside is I have had to figure out a lot more computer, server, database and scripting stuff than I ever really cared to know. Anyways, now the site is here. It’s going again. I hope to make a few more updates to the design and architecture and then get back in a habit of regular posting.

That being said, I’m not completely sold on the new look either. I really like the functionality of the new design, but a part of me says it might be too flashy. Take a look at the old site and see what you think. Which design is better? What works, what doesn’t? Don’t hold anything back.

By the way, my favorite new feature is my photo gallery scripting. Be sure and check it out. The need to display photos in a more professional manner was the primary factor that led to the new site, but the gallery feature can work fine with either design.