From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=13">B.K.</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

I was thinking I might have scared you all with the last poem I wrote, Ha. I guess I have been sitting with my poor little Aunt so long it's beginning to rub off. She was married to my Uncle for fifty four years and there is a beauty and an agony to it all that just bewilders me so as I was playing with words and as I put those together the tears just flowed. It's just the will to survive is so great for most and she's having a hard time with her grief.<BR>
<BR>
bk
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=4">TJ Holland</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

B.K. (darlin')~ I don't know why you would think you scared us with that poem. I think it is probably the best one you've done so far. It feels calmer and it has a voice that speaks of intense sincerity. Nice.<BR>
<BR>
-Teej
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=754">urbntofu</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

angieubaldo~<BR>
<BR>
<a href="/blend/wv.cgi?id=2002.05.21.02.46.5296">i choose uncertainty</a>... definitely "The Ideal" path to choose... helps you to save face from reality.  Thanks for the inspiration.<BR>
<BR>
Ri
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1">Kirk, Blender-Keeper</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

So, the new look of loveblender is all rolled out!<BR>
<BR>
Many thanks to Brooke "Lupschada" Tarnoff, check out her blog on the Dramturg's Note of <a href="http://lupschada.com">http://lupschada.com</a> <BR>
<BR>
I added a "hitwhore" feature to the bottom, just like <a href="http://kisrael.com/">http://kisrael.com/</a> has, so you can see how many hits and how many unique users the site is getting.  (For the frontpage view of the site only, I included ye olde (circa 1996) graphical counter)<BR>
<BR>
So let me know what you think! Report any broken links or whatnot here, or e-mail me if it's really breaking the site...
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=13">B.K.</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

TJ; Thank you so much, I think maybe I scared myself with it. The will to live, loving someone that much, I guess that's on my mind lately. Survive just to see whats going to happen next is what I always say. It always changes.<BR>
<BR>
Violet: <a href="/blend/wv.cgi?id=2002.05.21.13.14.9780">inspiration</a> I love this one, it's wonderful. <BR>
<BR>
Kirk; It will take getting used to the new page..ha I liked the old one better, Is it a cost issue??? Space Issue?? The old one just had a style of it's own and was pretty classy looking. But as I said, I'll get used to it.<BR>
<BR>
bk <BR>
<BR>
 
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1">Kirk, Blender-Keeper</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

BK-<BR>
very good questions (and *finally* someone wrote back now that I've made the change live.)<BR>
<BR>
There were a couple reasons for the switch.  Not so much cost/space, more usability, aesthetics, and emphasis:<BR>
<BR>
* usability: Brooke pointed out that the old design (especially the front page I think, <a href="http://www.loveblender.com/old/2002mayindex.html">http://www.loveblender.com/old/2002mayindex.html</a> if you want to see it) was a bit confusing. It's a bit unclear about where a new visitor should click to get to the good stuff.<BR>
<BR>
* aesthetics: while the old monthly digest design was pretty darn good for circa-1997-by-a-techie, it had a bit of an awkward color scheme. It's usability wasn't so bad, with a big emphasis on the front page picks, but the boxes below the month's editorial comment were a little unclear as well<BR>
<BR>
* emphasis: I wanted to really bring the digest to the fore.  There are three things that make this site interesting: the new submissions, the message board, and the "value-add" that doing a monthly digest brings.  <BR>
<BR>
That's my theory anyway...I think making the front page picks (subjectively selected as they are), along with the little editorial comment plus a Feature, help make this site stand out from some other similar sites that kind of feel like great big poetry warehouses. And doing the picks lets a *casual* viewer find something really good without all the wading through lots and lots of new submissions.<BR>
<BR>
So the new design really puts the front page picks on the front page, and I think the grey buttonbar does an ok job of emphasizing the ways people can interact with the site, better than regular text links, or the bottom button bar that the monthly digest used to have (like the message board page still does have...and I'm thinking of adding in a new survey question button just for that page)<BR>
<BR>
That said, I know a new layout always looks weird and a bit wrong...and some layout changes shouldn't be made at all! But I think this is a pretty positive change, one in tune with the rest of and the history of the blender, plus all those good things above.
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=205">Violet</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

BK~ Thank you so much! Your latest (oops, I forgot the title) is fantastic as well... as I think it was mentioned ealier, it's very sincere. Bravo, and thank you.<BR>
<BR>
Kirk~ I like it. It's much easier to navigate... and it's pretty. :-)
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=13">B.K.</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

Kirk; Very good points you made there. I am not in any way against change, believe me, change is my middle name ha, but ok then, how about a little more color maybe. Guess the old one is my pacifier and comfy huh? ha <BR>
<BR>
bk
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=2">scqueen</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

OH NOOOOOOOOO!!! Change????? Virgos, help me here! BK? Jack?<BR>
Kev? Madi (pretends she's not a virgo)?
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=17">deevaa</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

I was going to comment earlier Kirk, but my connection went down before I could click 'submit' and then I never got back around to doing it.<BR>
<BR>
My only comment was that I wasn't 100% about the thick blue line, but I think the reasons  you've mentioned and everything else is spot on.<BR>
<BR>
Oh, and I was going to ask if you'd coded the sans serif as 'default' cause mine comes up as Arial, and not anything fancy pants that I think Ali? mentioned?<BR>
<BR>
dee<BR>
<BR>

<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=13">B.K.</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

SC; You forgot Gudkarma, he's a Virgo as well..ha. I love it! (Sometimes I wish for a nice quiet life where nothing changes. It never happens.)<BR>
<BR>
Violet; Thanks so much, this is why I love this place so much. You guys are wonderful!<BR>
<BR>
bk  
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=17">deevaa</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

oh by the way - Devin, I responded to your email but it bounced back saying it couldn't be delievered after 4 days of trying? <BR>
<BR>
mail me again.<BR>
<BR>
take care of your heart.<BR>
<BR>
dee
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=13">B.K.</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

Ha, this is what happens when the tv goes kaput..ha I hang out here instead. There is one downstairs but the computer and lots of jazz is here.<BR>
<BR>
spaceman:<a href="/blend/wv.cgi?id=2002.05.21.16.59.9263">Rain</a> Keep this up and you’ll have all the women swooning around here.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
deevaa: <a href="/blend/wv.cgi?id=2002.05.21.18.19.9923">Clashing, Crashing...</a> Good luck with the cool <BR>
interview….got my fingers crossed for you.<BR>
<BR>
bk<BR>
<BR>
bk <BR>
<BR>

<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1">Kirk, Blender-Keeper</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

Deevaa...<BR>
Tempus is the font for the top graphic, and the headers below, the whole page is "Verdana". I think it's supposed to be extra readable.
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=10">Galadrial</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

Spaceman...<BR>
<BR>
Rain is lovely...though it gave me a twinge. I remember a man who wrote poetry about love and rain...<BR>
<BR>
Yours is better.
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=10">Galadrial</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

Ok...a friend came up with this...Ladies...find out what Woman of Beauty you are...courtesy of Nishi...<BR>
<BR>
center&gt;<BR>
&lt;a href=<a href="http://www.usagiandmamoru.com/quiz&gt;&lt;img">http://www.usagiandmamoru.com/quiz&gt;&lt;img</a> src=<a href="http://www.usagiandmamoru.com/quiz/snowbeauty.jpg">http://www.usagiandmamoru.com/quiz/snowbeauty.jpg</a> border=0&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;<BR>
&lt;a href=<a href="http://www.usagiandmamoru.com/quiz&gt;Which">http://www.usagiandmamoru.com/quiz&gt;Which</a> Woman of Beauty Are You?&lt;/a&gt; Find out! By &lt;a href=<a href="http://www.usagiandmamoru.com&gt;Nishi&lt;/a&gt;.">http://www.usagiandmamoru.com&gt;Nishi&lt;/a&gt;.</a><BR>
&lt;/center&gt;<BR>

<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=22">angieubaldo</a><BR>
Date: 21 May 2002<P>

misti and urbntofu~ thanks for commenting on my work...it means a lot to me!  =&gt;
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