Reasons behind my choices for layout

Why I've done what I've done.

Let me open with a quote from just the nicest (not) guestbook entry I got not too long ago . . . yes, it's real!

"Your site sucks hard! It is really ugly, none of the subpages match and just to tell you, all your content should be worth seeing so delete all the crappy stuff. Also your name sucks, maybe you took a lot of time on this, but why don't you put something up that people actually care about. Try again, maybe you'll make something worthwhile."

Apparently someone wanted to test me and see if I'd remove it from my guestbook just because it was negative, but it got me thinking even though most of this person's complaints are nowhere near valid. I've decided to make a page for you, the people, to explain the method to my madness; i.e., why my site looks the way it does.

IT'S TRUE, some of my subpages don't match. Which, in case you weren't aware, is generally considered "bad" Web design. Well, I'm not sure who this person expected to be dealing with, but . . . "matching" is not something that's exactly high on my priority list. I don't wear matching socks, okay? I know that socks are "supposed" to match, just like I know that matching subpages and continuity are generally desirable traits in a Web page. But rules like this were made to be broken. I don't claim to have a professional site (though parts of it are very professional--and those parts match). I claim to have a site that represents my personality, which I think it does, very well.

Many of my page's sections have continuity within themselves. For instance, my dreams page is adorned with a night-themed star background. But my site is so huge that if I had one background for everything, it would really be incredibly boring. If you know me in real life, you probably realize that I am many different things at different times, and it would be kind of ridiculous for my site not to reflect the different aspects of me just so that I could claim my page adheres to the rules of good taste. Blah.

Okay, what else? The content. The disgruntled guestbook signer above complained that my content is not worth seeing and should be deleted. My response?

B.S.

I challenge someone to find another personal Web site with as much good content. I'm not saying that to be snotty; it's just that the majority of what's out there now tells very little about its creator, has very little in the form of entertainment value, and usually exists more as a jump-off point to other more interesting sites than as a site in itself. But I have writing (short stories, poetry, novel chapters, all original); book, television, and music reviews; personal content out the wazoo; lots of (in my opinion) well thought out essays on various subjects; several helpful pages; and quite a bit of humor, links, connections, and miscellaneous entertainment. That doesn't mean you have to like my writing, agree with my reviews, think I'm cool, whatever . . . but there is no way in hell anyone can argue that my site's content just "sucks." Come on now. I'd accept an analysis of why a particular section of my site is inappropriate, misguided, or offensive (or whatever), but just saying "nyah, it sucks" just makes me think the person didn't even read what I had to say and was just interested in trying to insult me. I don't fall for stupid things like that. And just one more comment on the content: Somehow I doubt that my site is full of stuff no one cares about, as this lovely guestbook entry suggests. Some of it is personal or rambly and might not be interesting to the average surfer, but that doesn't mean it's all "crap" and should be taken down. By all means, go to the pages that interest you, and avoid the ones you think might be boring. I'm probably the only person in existence who's read it all; why should you if you're not interested?

Hmm, how about some miscellaneous answers to questions and comments I've gotten? Let's see. I don't use frames because I just don't like the way they divide up the browser, even though they make navigation easier. I use a fair amount of graphics because in real life I like adornment (you should see my decorations, my bike, and the jewelry I wear; it's not just the Web page, believe me). I like to use bright colors and I am not a minimalist at all, and follow very few Web trends. My site has been steadily growing since 1997 and has been a satisfying hobby for me, with no lapses in updating, since it began. I am slightly obsessive about it but yes, I still do have a life. And no, I do not put over five hundred pictures of myself on the 'Net because I am narcissistic; I put over five hundred pictures of myself on the 'Net because I have a scanner, because I have interested parties wanting to see my vacation pictures and whatnot, and because it is relatively easy to do.

I do not create most of my own graphics. This background is an exception, take it and die. :) I do not have any graphics software, and though I am creative I would rather use others' graphics on my Web page for the most part. OF COURSE I always provide the proper credit and never use images without permission. I *do* create all of my own text. Everything written on this page is by me, with the exception of several collaborative works between my friends and me, as well as excerpts from jokes, textbooks, articles, or other sources, all of which are properly credited. This is a copyrighted work, with a fully registered copyright which means that if you steal my text I have proof that I had it before you and can sue you over it if I choose to. I look at other people's Web page codes and learn coding tricks from them, though I never copy and paste their code. I look at other people's pages and get ideas, like anyone. I never copy. My site is completely my own.

So, there you have it . . . why I've chosen to do what I've done with this Web page. As you can see, I have pretty good reasons, and I know it. And now, you know it too. This is why I found this guestbook entry so absurd; it was almost completely groundless. My site's ugly? Sure it is . . . it's different, isn't it? My site's content sucks? Yeah, right! Where's YOUR content? My name sucks? Huh? How can a name suck, and how does that reflect on me? No one cares about my page? Then who wrote all the other positive guestbook messages and all these mails to me about how wonderful and entertaining my page is? ::shaking head:: I'm just . . . not fooled. If you truly think that I've made a bad choice concerning an aspect of my Web page, you're invited to let me know exactly what it is . . . but don't just tell me it sucks. I know that's not true.

The end. :)

Go away now.