Swift kick in the pants...old school

Welcome, all.
After unsuccessfully starting multiple blogs, on multiple platforms, I think I'm going to give Blogger a try.

I was hoping for the magic convergence out of Apple's iWeb...like so other aspects of my digital life that live on my Mac, I had hoped that an iWeb blog would synergize those elements and provide a cool fusion of pictures, video clips, and rambling thoughts. Instead, it sits there, dormant, mocking me. So what's the problem with iWeb?

Well, unlike other Apple products--iPhoto, iMovie--it isn't easy or intuitive to use. I spent nearly an hour one night trying to get a damn button set up to link to another page in the blog where I had a photo album. I could get a link, but couldn't get the button to sit where I wanted it. Fighting against the app is very un-Apple, and I think that's why I got unusually frustrated. And I *know* what I'm doing, at least compared to a lot of people out there. Then, there is the inability to update your iWeb page from anywhere except in front of a Mac running iWeb. Since I don't have a MacBook, that means I can only update from home. LAME.

The other issue is not Apple fault; I have a 5 month-old daughter, and she consumes the lion's share of my free time these days. I had been toying with the notion of (finally) learning how to play guitar. Then I made a list of all the things I already love to do but do not have the time to do anymore...and the list was shamefully long. Don't get my wrong--I have NO REGRETS, I love Emerson and what she has done to my life. I just realized that I need to prioritize and focus on existing commitments: family, friends, career. And if there is a little time here and there for Rock Band, well, that will be great, too.

So I hope I keep this more updated than my old blog (which lives at http://web.mac.com/philgrad). It will still be a place that we'll stick photos and stuff, and Marantha has a blog there too.

For now, it's back to pre-Thanksgiving house cleaning.