Thursday, August 14, 2008

"You clean up real good!"


Don't worry! You're still at the right blog. Let me explain.

I had the need to don a suit and tie the other day. People who've always known me with riding gear and helmet hair as my prominent features were shocked. The inevitable comment was made.

"You clean up pretty good!"

The reason people were taken aback was that it's so seldom I ever appear as anything but "that motorcycle nut". Come to think of it, maybe that's why I feel so close to some of my fellow instructors. We all understand each other. No explanations needed.

However, the comment did get me thinking. No matter how hard and long the ride, eventually there's a need to take one of those things they call "the pause that refreshes". Sort of like in the picture above. Sophie and I had three hundred or so miles to go. It was time to stop for a bit.

I've been keeping this blog for about two and a half years. The first post was January 7, 2006. To get started I picked a template and started the journey. I've seen quite a few new blogs appear over that time. Each and every one of you are a great addition to the neighborhood. Once in a while I see a blog that gets tweaked in some way. Steve Williams at Scooter in the Sticks was one of the first I saw. Rick at Keep the Rubber Side Down worked his site over for a pretty neat look. Recently, Earl added a new gadget to his site Two Wheels and an Engine that tracks current activity on his blog links. By the way, when I checked for his url for this link, I noticed we're using similar templates. Don't worry, pretty soon mine will look far different than it does right now.

All during this time I left my site alone. My reasoning was that it was content more than presentation that was important. Besides, free time to explore on anything but two wheels just isn't there these days. For some reason, though, my mouse kept pointing to the dashboard of Blogger the other day. Maybe it was the sheer insanity of staring at a laptop doing reports to Corporate for hours on end. The time had finally come to pull off the road and make a refreshing pit stop. The next thing I knew I was deep into making some changes.

I looked at al the templates and finally picked a new template I liked. There would be frequent forays into other blogs to see if there was any duplication. For some reason I missed looking at Earl's place. There's only so many things to chose from so I'm amazed there's not more duplication. Anyway, I survived adding changes I made on the old site into the new template. It's a work in progress. Now that I've started it, I'm compelled to stay with it. My blog will have it's own unique look when I'm done. Hang with me, Earl! I might even play with gadgets!

Some fiddling with settings will be going on for a little while. Please bear with me during the process. Even better, if you've found something really cool I'd love it if you feel like sharing!

Miles and smiles,

Dan



14 comments:

Lady R (Di) said...

Everyone needs a little spring cleaning or remodeling now and then. Looking good.

Steve Williams said...

It took me awhile to figure out you changed something. Your voice comes across immediately in your writing and I didn't notice you had on a suit....

I've toyed with changing my blog template but every time I look at templates my brain itches badly.

So blue it remains. Old, inflexible, plain, like its master...

Steve Williams
Scooter in the Sticks

Doug C said...

A very nice look Dan.

I have gotten into the habit of reading my favorite blog posts from the Google Reader and only actually visit a site if there are multiple photos posted - Conch's site comes to mind.

Again, very nice look.

Anonymous said...

It's crisp, it's clean, it's fresh. It grabs you, makes the stories "pop". I like it!

Unknown said...

I am never satisfied with my site. I am always thinking about ways to fiddle with it. By the way,your content is awesome.

Conchscooter said...

I would say I keep my blog simple out of some atavistic purity relating to manual typewriters and stuff. But I don't know what Google Reader is and someone tried to explain RSS and I got a headache. My blog is pinkish because I find it restful on the eyes as I use my web links to keep me amused while i am at work at night. Of course i want to know what was wrong with distinctive blue but thats me just being grumbly.Really, it was horrible, good riddance.

Conchscooter said...

Actually i think its yellowish. God I'm a dork. I need to pay attention.

Allen Madding said...

Too much Sangria, Conch? :)

Conchscooter said...

No I'm just a technological dunce, pink and yellow are very confusing to me. I need to take a nap in the loo.

Stephen said...

I got a little spooked there for a second. I clicked on your link from my blog this evening and thought that I had entered a wrong address for your blogsite while doing my amendments (wouldn't be the first time that I've done something like that).
I too am surprised that there isn't that much repetition out there.
Ride Well

E.T.

Krysta in MKE said...

"Don't worry! You're still at the right blog."

Ack! Change! No, no, no, no...
::giggle::

Looks good. Maybe you'll update the colors as seasons change?

Bryce said...

Not too sure about the green background!
However it is your blog and hence your way of presenting your thoughts
to the world.

Offside comments
wooden shed in the background of photos,
has it been in prior photos? looks familiar.

And tried to send you a notice to
the address previously posted, message was refused, no such address.

Baron's Life said...

It's neat.............!!!!
Berge
http://baronsview.blogspot.com

irondad said...

Lady R,
If I could only do something similar to myself!

Steve W,
I feel complimented by your comment on my voice coming through. That's what this was meant to be. Just me sharing what's on my mind now and then.

Doug C,
Thanks. I like blogs with photos, too. Something about tightly spaced words that makes reading seem like a lot of work.

Mrs. RC,
I like your description. That's what I was after even though I couldn't put it into words.

Rick,
Maybe us gear heads just always feel the need to "wrench" a little, huh? Thanks for the affirmation of the content. I'd hate to think it was a waste of time for someone to read the blog.

Conchscooter,
Whatever it was you're trying to say, thanks. Ummm, I think! Be careful sleeping in the loo. Your legs may fall asleep and you'll fall down with your trousers around your ankles. Undignified, even if we are motorcyclists!

Earl,
Almost made you think you'd clicked on yourself, huh? Sorry!

Krysta,
What a great idea! I could tweak colors to match the seasons but could you handle the change that often?

Bryce,
Now I have to go find the wooden shed and see! Weird about the e-mail.

Baron,
Thank you. I bookmarked your blog. Have to go have a look around.

Take care,

Dan