I’ve changed WordPress.com theme again. This time it’s:
Oulipo by A. Mignolo
A clean grid-based theme with fixed navigation which comes in light and dark variants. Featuring a custom menu, background, and header image for subtle customization; all while allowing the focus to remain on the content.
Again, I like to try different layouts but still prefer the TIME STAMPS viewable on the front page and archive mode. The fonts appear small and the background is a nice buttery yellow again.
I’ve changed the WordPress.com theme. This time it’s:
Coraline by Automattic
A squeaky-clean theme featuring a custom menu, header, background, and layout. Coraline supports 7 widget areas (up to 3 in the sidebar, four in the footer) and featured images (thumbnails for gallery posts and custom header images for posts and pages). It includes styles for print and the Visual Editor, special styles for posts in “Asides” and “Gallery” categories, and has an optional full-width page template that removes the sidebar.
What I like about this particular theme (sans my preferred TIME STAMP) are the `Theme Options`:
For the background, one could choose to upload an image or display a color, which is a soft-buttery yellow for mine. Yummy, butter!
For the header, one could choose to upload an image of 990 by 180 pixels or choose from three images:
Plus, the theme `auto-adjusts` for smaller screens, which is currently squooshed to hide my addiction at my SLOW-paced temp job from hell.
There is a widget for displaying a `featured text`, which contains my golden-disk `gravatar` of golden yellow and orange, along with a description of my blog. There are four bottom widgets, too!
After trying yet another WordPress.com theme: Steira by Made by Elephant, I decided that bigger fonts reflects my ego in the Wu Wei theme by Jeff Ngan, who posted a nice Vimeo video of him playing a simple and soothing tune on a ukulele. I was going to post a comment but it was about his finger picks.
Originally, I set this WordPress.com theme to a darker color scheme of a LIGHT fonts against a very soft gray-color background. Apparently, someone preferred darker fonts against lighter backgrounds. So I had to take that reader’s opinion into consideration. The colors are now orange, like my gravatar of a golden-colored sundisk.
The theme is one-column and fits nicely to a screen resolution of 800 by 600 pixels. There are three bottom (or footer) widgets. The columns vertically align almost perfectly unless I add another link to my Blogroll widget. Plus, the same `path.jpg` has been uploaded as the theme’s header.
Again, I’m hoping for more themes with hardcoded time stamps because my blog entries occur around the time my thoughts manifest or when experiences come to light. Whatever. Enjoy!
Sorry, folks. I keep changing themes. This time it’s:
Notepad by Nick La.
It looks clean enough, although you know I’ll change themes on you again!
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Four hours ago, I changed to one theme (see above). Now it’s 10:00pm and I’m trying:
INove by mg12.
It’s supposed to be lighter and easier on the eyes for readers who cannot stand light-colored fonts against dark backgrounds. Fine.
I’m back with the Black-LetterHead by Ulysses Ronquillo here at WordPress.com. Last night, I’ve contacted `support` to troubleshoot an issue with previewing css. I could see the screen but it doesn’t `refresh` properly to reflect the various edits to my paid CSS upgrade.
I have requested a refund due to this issue. Here is the message to `cancel and refund`:
I’m having difficulty previewing my custom css prior to saving stylesheet. I’ve contacted support to troubleshoot in the issue. Moreover, I won’t be satisfied with one style no matter how many times I edit my paid CSS upgrade. Thank you.
I’ll have to stop spending friviously like this and concentrate on blogging.
Here is the message via `https://[username here].wordpress.com/wp-admin/paid-upgrades.php?update=unsubemail`:
You requested a refund for an upgrade. Please check your email for a message with a confirmation link.
Then I checked the email and clicked on the link to confirm. Here is the message I received via `https://[username here].wordpress.com/wp-admin/paid-upgrades.php?update=unsub`:
Upgrade cancelled and refunded. The refund may take up to 4 business days to appear in your PayPal/bank/credit card account.
There is something wrong with the latest Firefox version 3.6.8.
So by using a different web browser, an IE8 for example, I was able to accomplish both tasks last night and tonight, respectively.
Yippee! I’m really using my brain tonight with my paid CSS upgrade!
Since there is no tagline hardcoded into this particular design, I used a `pseudo-class` element `:after` the `blog title` element. So now when a reader places the mouse over the `Site title` – `The Blogging Path` – the edited `a:hover` element will show a font size of 18 pixels for:
`The Blogging Path – Alternative topics and other rants`
Alright! I’m really using my mind this time! After switching several WordPress.com themes and after viewing and saving the original stylesheet of each theme, I reviewed the Twenty Ten theme by the WordPress team and found my answer at last!
I was able to increase the `line height` to the `tag cloud` widget! Now I could add as many `tags` to my posts without seeing how the tags are crammed so close together!
Also, I increased and decreased the widths to the sidebar and the content elements, respectively. This allows for longer Blogroll `links`, `Recent comments` and `tags`, too!
The calendar width, too, has been stretched 100% to fill up the sidebar.
Again, it’s better to purchase a paid CSS upgrade so you’ll understand `programming` at its basics and make for a prettier and more presentable weblog here at WordPress.com! Whoot!
I tried different WordPress.com themes with little satisfaction and decided that the Dusk theme by Beccary, along with the color scheme and font styles of Tarski by Benedict Eastaugh and Chris Sternal-Johnson, would work for now.
I felt the blue color scheme was too cool and almost watery, if not depressing. Now the site has taken on a brighter and lighter appearance and hopefully the contents are easier to read. The colors are lime greens for the sidebar headers, warm blues and reds for other links, too.
I was hoping to add a nice background image to the header but wouldn’t know how to make the `auto-fit` element work. The `path.jpg` image from the 2010 them by Automattic matched my `Site title` – The Blogging Path.
Last night I had to remove two widgets, namely `Categories` and `Tags` – both of which serve the same purpose. Only the `Tags` widget doesn’t have a drop-down menu list; whereas the `Categories` widget allows for hierarchy.
For the sake of tracking how many posts I have published, I’ll just leave `rant` as a category all by itself. It doesn’t make sense to use the `QuickPost` feature when there is no `category` field to fill out but a `tag` in its place.
As a result, I was looking around for another WordPress.com theme to use and tweak my paid CSS upgrade. I feel it’s the appearance that is, well, too BORING. I like the `automatic width` adjustment for any screen resolution and/or web page zoom feature.
I just don’t like sameness.
For $14.97, I’ve purchased an upgrade: It’s a Custom CSS subscription good for one year! I couldn’t help myself! I had to buy one and did so a few minutes ago!
I needed a different look to my WordPress.com weblog theme, which is Dusk by Beccary. It’s the hardcoding of this theme particular theme that worked well for me – from the bullet details to the way the comments are stacked.
The work around for the lack of a `Links template` is made possible by placing a Blogroll `Links widget` on the right sidebar, which is the default location of the original theme design.
For whatever reason, I couldn’t modify my old CSS. The fonts won’t change and maybe because the payment didn’t clear in 24 hours.
Oh, boy! This time I’ve changed the WordPress.com theme to `Tarski by Benedict Eastaugh and Chris Sternal-Johnson` again.
It’s cleaner and sports a colorful Christmas background with the WordPress.com logo. The less images on the sidebar, the faster the load time for users with slower internet connections.
The sidebar shows only the `Blogroll` links with someone’s site towards the top of the list. There is an RSS feed above and a Search bar below the `Blogroll` links.
I used to care if there is a time stamp or not but now no more. The RSS feed should take care of the approximate time when my post entries were made.
I used to care if there is a drop-down navigation bar or not but it soon became noticeably redundant on the sidebar widget as either `main menu` or `pages`.
You will notice that there are only two top-level, navigation bar selections: `Home` (for blogs) and `Contents` (for pages). Again, it’s cleaner with only four sections and logically laid-out based on the WordPress.com Dashboard: Posts, Links, Media and Pages. All the pages are links from this one `Contents` page.
I’ve been trying to get ideas on how sites grace the `Freshly Press` page. I know the weblog contents MUST be crispy and clean in order to make the list. I know that mine is still full of unresolved issues, rants and such. Brouhaha!