Year Two

I'm not a writer. I think that was apparent with my previous attempt at keeping a blog running on a whopping one (maybe two) posts a month. jtylercity.net was on life support.

I want to be a better blog parent. I fell into the trap that so many do. A website that begins with good intentions quickly becomes a graveyard of half-focused topics swaying from video of the week to check out my new lamp. Granted, my previous blog was created mainly to keep in touch with friends and family as I made my move to Chicago in 2006. So, for some reasons, the occasional post about lamps wasn't entirely inappropriate. As long as it was about what I'm up to, I suppose it was on topic.

But it has been a year (and 12 days) in Chicago now. A lot of you folks have visited me already. You know I'm having fun and staying healthy. Most of you know I survived the winter. For those that don't... yes I survived the winter.
Now that there isn't much to talk about anymore with the move, I'm finding there is a lot more I want to say that didn't necessarily have a place in the context of the old blog. I want to talk more about design. I want to critique found-type on car lot signs I see on the way to work. I want to talk about why I think indie films are usually disappointing. I want to talk about a lot of things, not related to what I'm doing, but what I'm thinking about.

So, along with the obvious domain and design change, there are also some major structure changes:

  • You can still keep up with what I'm doing on the homepage under Happening in the side-bar. This pulls posts from my Twitter page, which I update a few times a day. Hi grandma.
  • The only part of the previous website that I did update regularly, the Finding or links section, is now moving into the main content of the site. Most of what I'm interested in is related to something I've found online (is that sad?), so I want to bring more focus on it this time around. It will no longer be updating from my Delicious feed, but directly from the new cms.
  • Generally I'm much, much more in control of the structure here. Movable Type is amazing, and what's even more amazing is my "poke it to see if it's still alive" programming technique has not interfered.
  • And I hope you all like the new design. It's a breath of fresh air for me.

As with anything new, things will slightly change here and there, but generally this is it. I'll be adding content all the time, and there's no rush at the moment, but eventually I will have a new design portfolio as part of the site. So re-bookmark the new home page or the feed, come back often, and make sure I don't talk about lamps.

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August 12, 2007

5 Comments

julie says

I love it. :)

August 12, 2007 9:30 PM
Mommaw says


Thanks for the update on your website. Lindy was with me last week and I was going to have her read it, but I could not access it. But I still want you to add some personal updates, so I can keep up with you. Hope to see you this fall, either here in NC or in Chicago. I love what you are doing and I love you. Mommaw

August 13, 2007 12:16 PM
JT says

Sorry you couldn't access it. I guess I should add that I had been having server issues pretty often, but I've worked with the host and I've transfered servers too. So those problems shouldn't happen again.

But email me if they do.

August 13, 2007 12:26 PM
amyie purpura says

I think it's great that you put so much effort into this, and I really enjoy knowing what's going on with you (and sometimes Julie) while you are in Chicago. Thanks for sharing!

August 15, 2007 8:56 PM
Grammy Smith says

Hey Grandson,
You amaze me; I'm enjoying reading up on you and your interests. Your new blog is great, supercalifragilisticexpiallidocious!
Did I spell that right?
I want to see pictures of you and Martin, especially of you on the computer with Martin on your lap! And pls. send me a pix of Martin to put in our grandpup gallery on the refrig!
I love you bunches,
Grammy

August 17, 2007 7:46 AM

Welcome

This is a personal website about design, film, ideas, culture, Chicago, and the interest of the moment. Read the colophon for more. Find me on flickr and delicious. Contact me at jthelms at gmail dot com.

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