If you’re reading this from my blog pages instead of an RSS feed and are not blind then you’ve noticed some non-subtle changes to the look and feel of my blog pages. After all– ’tis the season to start anew. Go with the fresh look. Turn a page in the book of life. You get the picture.
Usually, it is my husband that makes changes like this to my site around the change of the calendar year, not I, but this time I took some initiative and stretched outside of my comfort zone. Plus, I was tired of the old look and Gary was still asleep in bed, so off I go toodling around in the admin section of the blog hunting for a new theme.
Finding one I like, I follow the link to download it to my hard drive. Aha. Done. I am so darned clever. Now what? This is where I’m not sure how to proceed, which is equivalent to it being time for Gary to wake up, not so coincidentally. Knowing that The Crumpler can morph into The Grumpler when he’s not awake yet, I barrel forward courageously undaunted and pelt him with questions about what needs to be done next. He looks at me sideways and asks whether I want him to do it or have him show me how to do it. Good question.
Now it’s time for me to look sideways at him. This is a trick question, I’m sure of it, so I pause to think it over. Gary takes my brief moment of silence as an affirmative response to the latter option and we go forward with step by step instructions on how to set up the website directory to receive this new theme’s files. Let me just say something about this directory thing. They look suspiciously like file folders and even have file folder shaped icons next to them. Why not just call them folders? Why not? I tell you why not. Because that would make sense. Far better to confuse the wife with directory this and directory that when you’re really talking about folders. Eventually I catch on to the secret code and we get the directory set up.
Then Grumpler asks whether I have Mozilla installed on my laptop. “Mozilla?” I ask clicking and pointing my way around my virtual desktop, “No I do not have Mozilla but I have Netscape.” A noise of derision is emitted from The Grumpler at the mention of Netscape. I presume this is the noise a Mozilla would make, or, rather, a Grumpler imitating a Mozilla.
“That’s OK,” Gary continues, “you can just FTP the files to the directory.” Whoa whoa whoa whoa! Stop. FTP?! The look I give him next causes him to burst into gales of laughter, which is saying something considering he hasn’t been awake yet for a full 10 minutes. “Yes, that’s File __Transfer __ Protocol” he enunciates with put-upon clarity leaving distinct spaces in between the last three words.
I turn and face The Crumpler head on. I narrow my eyes. Oh, really now. He laughs harder, if that’s possible.
It is time to explain something very important to my dearest Gary. “That is your definition. Let me explain the definition of FTP according to the dictionary of Alicia’s World.”
FTP, verb. FTP’d, FTPing.
- Definition– The computery – internetty thing that Gary does and NOT Alicia.
- Alternate definition– The computery – internetty thing that Alicia’s brother Derek does and NOT Alicia.
- Alternate definition #2– Some people refer to this as File Transfer Protocol, which is an interesting piece of trivia, but this is irrelevant to Alicia because it is always someone else doing it.
Got it? Is it all clear now?
Between peals of laughter, Gary then explains that it’s easy. Oh, it’s easy, is it? So is running 4 miles at 7:30 per mile pace. You want to try that Mr. Smarty Pants Internet Guy? Gary is getting a lot of enjoyment out of this process, so I decide to play along. You know what? It was kind of easy, once I knew what to do.
So, yes, the changes made thus far on the blog are all done by me. There’s more to come, though, and these are all Gary’s action items. The front www.aliciaparr.com page needs to be updated and we’re going to put our own pics into that rotating banner of photographic loveliness at the top of each page. Check back in for these changes. I’ve got the maestro on this project, so it should all go a little smoother.
So yes, it was a good experiment, but going outside our comfort zone is — what do you call it?– uncomfortable. For now, I’m going back to what I know, and that’s HR stuff and recruiting and running and biking and writing blog posts about it. Making changes ain’t easy. File transfer protocol that one into your directory.
They’ve been called “directories” far longer than they have been called “folders” That change happened with the advent of “windowed” operating systems. And popularized with the term’s use in the Microsoft Windows operating system.
In fact, I am pretty certain that they were called “directories” back on our Apple2c that we had way way way back when. I am also willing to bet that you called them “directories” at that time as well.
You may also notice that that is a habit I have a hard time breaking and I still often call them “directories”.
I also need to break my bad habit of over using the word “also”.
To Derek’s comments below:
Blah blah blah blah blah Directories Blah blah blah blah blah..repeat what Gary said….blah blah blah blah…etc.
What I said was way more entertaining.
Well… maybe more entertaining if I didn’t already know you were nerdy and already knew better anyway. Sorry I ruined your image for everyone else… you jock. ;]