Creating Websites Is…Well, It’s a Bitch.

Looks fun, doesn’t it…

Yeah, I said it.

And it’s probably pretty common knowledge that it’s not the easiest thing in the world to do. Sure, there are programs that allow visual drag and drop design, but those aren’t what I”m talking about. I’m talking about the coding. The from-scratch programming.

And that’s what I’m taking a class for. Learning how to code and program a portfolio website from scratch. And by from scratch I mean from scratch. no snippets of other people’s ingenious codes were used, no template was given to mess with. No, this is all from a blank page all the way up to a portfolio with functioning links, rollovers, and animations.

Now here’s the catch.

I think I”m a decently intelligent person who can think logically through systematic processes. But coding…coding it getting hard. Coding is a lot of little details that, if messed up, can damage an entire day’s worth of work. Coding is a lot of scary syntactical strings that have to have a close to them or else they’ll mess everything else up.

And then there’s the programming, which gets even more intense. And by intense, I mean even more confusing and technically touchy. Messing up the code is much easier, and it’s much harder to find that one character that has been misplaced/not placed at all.

Programming is also more intimidating than code (for whatever reason). I don’t want to touch jQuery because I’m afraid something will explode.

And then it explodes.

This is really just a whiny rant, but I thought I’d get it out there. How difficult this really is and how many things there are to think about behind the beauty of a website. Each element is made individually, each action has to be well thought out, each element has its pixel-perfect place…

It’s driving me crazy!

All of that being said, I do have a website that I’m currently working on fixing up (built, of course, from scratch). Please feel free to take a look and watch as it progressively gets better (or just falls to pieces…).

How do you feel about web development? Ever tried it? If you haven’t, ever think about how much goes into it?

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• Programming Skills Every Non-Programmer Should Have (metaltoad.com)

A Sporadic Update

Major redesign! Major makeover. 

So here’s the thing guys. I haven’t written in a really long time and I’ve probably lost what followers I had (and I’m really sad about that!)

But I’m going to try and keep writing, because it’s cathartic and good for the soul. Or something.

And as a symbolic “restarting” of this blog, I have redone the layout (see, there are fish, because my nickname is Karp. Get it?). It’s a pretty lame symbol but it works for me. I am also going to work on revamping my personal website and I’ll post the link when I’m finally finished. Other external links will also be updated.

I also haven’t written on my Hubpages in a while but I might start that up again over the summer.

Anyway. I’ve been busy with school school school and I now have two jobs (on top of being a full time student) and that’s a lot of work, with a surprising lack of free time. Whatever I complained about in terms of workload last year has pretty much doubled. Insane.

I’m excited for Thanksgiving break though and for having a break from school. I”m also excited for my next semester where I will be taking more illustration classes than design classes and maybe I can take a little mental break and have some fun. Maybe.

I’ll give a detailed update of everything once I get home and am full to the gut with yummy food.

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• ♥ / Minneapolis College of Art and Design Art Sale (swiss-miss.com)

 

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So guys, last night I couldn’t go to sleep because I was just bursting with ideas. This has never happened to me before in the way that it did at 3 in the morning. Eventually, I did something about it. Now keep in mind what time it was. My main goal was to get my ideas out, so I ended up just chugging the images out one by one. It was great, and fun. And at least my idea is out there, so I can refine it while awake.

So here’s the assignment: make 8 pieces that use text/image with photo. You’ll know what I mean when you look down the page. My first critique was essentially that I had weak concepts, so now I’m trying to strengthen it through a theme. My revelation last night was to base my series off of old nursery rhymes. It started with what my teacher said was my strongest piece for Black Sheep. So here are the 7 I did last night. Of course I still have to revise because most of them are pretty shitty, ahah. But the idea is out there, and that’s what the goal was!

See if you can’t figure out what goes with what (hint, it should be reaaaally easy!):

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

Three Blind Mice

The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush 

Sing a Song of Sixpence 

This is the House That Jack Built

 

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It'd be fun to be a blogging hero.

Looking Back at Post a Day 2011 — How’d You Do?.

 

Oh man – I haven’t done so great. I wish I had done better…but hey, I kept up a blog for longer than I think I ever have, and that’s something! Anyway. For this reflection I’m going to answer the questions in this prompt.

1. Why did you start the Post a Day/Week Challenge? I started because I wanted an incentive to write on this blog and keep it going. Too often I stop because I have nothing to write about and things become repetitive – with Post a Day, that issue was eliminated. 
2. Describe the state of your blog at the time you started the challenge. I started this challenge almost immediately after starting this blow. 
3. How did your blog evolve over the course of the challenge? It’s hard to gage, considering they both started at the same time. But I’ve had more views and feedback than on any other blog I’ve tried to run, so that’s something. 
4. Did you post as often as you had hoped? Why or why not? At the moment, I wish I posted more. I think I was doing pretty well though for a while there. I think it’ll go back to normal again once the new semester starts and I’m back into a routine and not bogged down with finals. 
5. What type of blogging strategy works best for you? What’s a blogging strategy? Under normal circumstances I just post every day via the PAD’11 prompt. I don’t really promote this blog or anything; it’s more for a stress reliever. I do, however, enjoy feedback and seeing the attention it gets. I’ve noticed that my views increase the more consistently I post, so that’ll be something I keep in mind.  
6. If you could go back to the beginning, what would you do differently? Not much. I would like to answer the questions more in-depth maybe. 
7. What are you most proud of accomplishing this year? Keeping a blog that actually gets views! Yay!
8. Name 3 great blogs you discovered through the challenge. Oh jeez. Anyone who’s commented/followed/liked a post or me has been inspirational to me in keeping this project alive. I’ve looked at all their pages and read up on all of them and I appreciate their blogs and the fact that they took time out of their lives to read what I have to say. 
9. What surprised you about the challenge? How much I could write about certain things. 
10. What advice would you give to others who want to blog regularly? Do this challenge! It helps a lot. At first I -just- answered the prompts, but now I’m able to do that AND add little notes about my personal life and not feel as self-centered about having a personal blog. 
11. What are your blogging goals for 2012? Keep it up!

What was the last noble thing you did?

Image via Wikipedia

What was the last noble thing you did?.

Noble? What do you mean by noble? I’m seeing knights in shining armor and Tamora Pierce‘s medieval heroine. I don’t know what you mean by noble. I don’t think about it, really. I’m not the selfless person who tries to be a saint. I’m just a person. I don’t go out of my way to be mean or selfish though. Like I always, always hold doors open for people unless my hands are absolutely full and I can’t. People seem surprised that I wait for as long as I do to hold the door open for them, but I guess it was just how I was raised. And why not? I’m not going to die by losing a minute. That’s really the only thing I do…and really the only thing I can do. I want to help people, be the one they talk to, whatever. But I’m not that kind of person. And I don’t push myself to be. And I’m okay with that. But if asked, or if the opportunity comes up, then I’m not going to resist. So I’m not….not noble. I’m just not the saint of the world. I think I’m a little young for that anyway. I have to help and save and support myself before I focus my energy on the world.

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I'm still not brave enough to watch scary movies...

Where do you go to be brave?.

Brave? I don’t know if I’d really call myself brave. But maybe I am. I think this past semester of college has made me live up to that definition more. i’ve definitely faced a lot of my fears and insecurities while being here and have grown from those experiences. I’ve tried not to shy away from the scary or new, and I’ve tried to push myself into making friends and being vulnerable, as well as asking for help and asserting myself in general. I think that I’m probably the most brave when the situation requires it. And by that I mean that if I get lost, I’m not just going to sit down and panic and cry. I’ll work it out and try my hardest to find my way again on my own, and only ask for help if I feel like I’ve exhausted all of my realistic options. Or talking to my teachers instead of just bullshitting the assignments or getting it wrong because I was too scared to affirm the requirements. Or being hungry and using an oven for the first time even though the heat scares the shit out of me, and making it through fine. Or going to parties where I don’t know where I am and being able to get home and make smart choices about what I eat/drink/say/do. My bravery is pretty mundane, pretty insignificant (I’m no superman~), but important for me and my growth as a person and as an adult making it through college. I think I’ve been more brave this semester than I ever have in my life. I’ve always been the one to shy away because of fear of failure or rejection or pain, but now I feel like I’m taking more chances and putting myself out there more. And if I do face those things I’m (still) afraid of? Well, now I can handle it. Now I can deal with it and feel better afterwards, I can control situations that have gone beyond their routine. And it feels great. I feel older. It’s only been a few months and my birthday isn’t until May 2012, but I feel older.

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How do you decide on new year’s resolutions?.

I kind of gave up on resolutions for the new year. Because then when I don’t meet them I’m disappointed, and it’s rare that I do because I mean hell. A year? Ahaha…I can hardly remember what my resolution was the next week.

Sorry about the short answer, but I HAVE EXCITING POST CONTENT TODAY!

So first off: Finals week, eep! I finished my 3D project and I really was proud of my work and everyone else seemed to see a lot of progress, which is good. It felt under control, and I think it was a good end to the semester. I can’t believe I’m done with 3D…it almost makes me sad, mostly because I loved my teacher and my classmates were all pretty awesome. We had a great class dynamic and everyone was respectful and honest. Isn’t it great? Anyway, that’s another thing off my plate.

I also just finished my video for Media 1. The link is here, and I’m pretty happy with it. It’s a “bumper” for MTV. It’s called “Make Your Own Rainbow”; I hope you like it! I’m pretty excited about it. I was hoping to have better video quality but that’s not the case. So maybe it adds? Probably not but hey, I have limited equipment.

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well during finals week! I still have a ton more to do, so I might tell you more later. Don’t forget to check out my Youtube videos, and please ask me questions or whatever. I need prompts!

What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?

 

Yeah how awesome.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?.

I’ve received a lot of great gifts from family and friends. I’m grateful for all of them, but the first one that comes to mind is my gift for Valentine’s day 2009. My boyfriend called me up and asked “hey, you like Coldplay right?” and confused, I responded “I mean I’m not in love with them but I listen to them…” and he made it clear by saying “Because I was thinking that as your Valentine’s day gift we could go to their concert in the summer”, and I pretty much lost my mind with happiness. And not just because of the band (don’t judge me, they’re fun to listen to from time to time), but because my boyfriend thought so far ahead and was willing to spend that much money. And then that Valentine’s day he surprised me with a card and a stuffed animal dog, that’s on my bed right now.

When the concert came around, of course it was exciting. It was my first concert and I was ecstatic that I had the opportunity to share the experience with him. And even if you don’t like Coldplay, the show they put on was absolutely amazing, and I could hardly contain my excitement the whole time. Everything was perfect about that night, and it was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. I was exhausted by the end of it, but it was so worth it.

So I think that there have been many gifts I’ve loved and cherished and held on to throughout my life, but this one is by far the most memorable and is very special to me.

Is there a cure for stupidity?

 

Or don't.

Is there a cure for stupidity?.

Let’s be blunt: no. And not because people who don’t understand things are un-fixable or unintelligible or whatever. I believe that anyone can learn and develop skills and become “smarter” if they persist. But stupidity isn’t just about book smarts and education level. I think that the way society views it makes it seem like the most important aspect of one’s knowledge, but really it’s just as equal as, say, common sense. Or anything else like that. Just things you do or don’t do and how much you learn from them.

So. I don’t think there’s a cure for stupidity, and here’s why: I think that there’s a certain level of resistance and ignorance in anyone who’s unwilling to overcome their mental obstacles. Sure, there’s a limit to everyone’s capabilities, but on the other hand, there’s a certain level of effort required as well. There’s a level of choice in stupidity. Not only in the sense that you can either make an effort or not, but also because…it’s stupid to want to be stupid. If that makes sense. And not just academically; stupid as in everything. I dunno. I probably said a lot of wrong things but that’s the gist of how I see it.

When you go to a movie theater…

When you go to a movie theater….

 

Hey guys, sorry for my short posts. It’s finals week and I’m going a little insane! Anyway, first thing’s first: when I go to a movie theater it makes the movie that much better. The bigger the screen, the more I can get into the movie and everything about it. Things just seem a lot less amazing at home. If that makes sense. Also, I usually go with my boyfriend so that makes it nice. :]

 

SO. FINALS. Here’s my to-do list:

Monday: (Art History 9:15-10:30), 3-D project installed by 1:00 pm, photos of semester projects uploaded.

Tuesday: Might present in Reading and Writing between 10:45-12, (Work from 6:30-8:30)

Wednesday: Art History final from 9:15-10:30, 30-60 second video for Media 1 at 1:00-6:00.

Thursday: If I didn’t present Tuesday, I’d present today for Reading and Writing between 10:45-12. Color book, process book, group project and presentation from 1:00-6:00

Friday: (MIA library 11:30-4:30)

 

So uh, yeah. I’m fucked.

On a slightly more positive note, I uploaded my newest video. The question is “what’s your favorite movie?” so I discuss that briefly and then I talk about finals and my color book a little.