04 Jan
2007

Joomla! greetings

Next week I’ve been asked to go to the netball club committee meeting and tell them a bit about what a website is and whether I should be making them one. In order to get my brain in gear I’ve been thinking about tools that would be suitable for this … I have been looking for a reason to try out Joomla! for a while, because the phpwomen.org site uses it and I don’t know much about it. Anyway last week I read a good review of it in LinuxFormat which reviewed a number of CMS tools and rated Drupal best but gave Joomla! the same score but said it was simpler.

So I’ve just installed Joomla! for the first time and it was as easy as falling off a log :) Actually it might have been even easier than that, once I set off through the process of installing it then suddenly I was all done and fiddling with the admin tool! This product has a very active community behind it so I was quickly able to grab some free templates and suchlike, very cool (especially as they look quite complicated to write from scratch) and appealing to my instant-gratification appetite.

Items, Categories and Sections

All items (my items are like articles, I’m still learning so not sure if this would always be true) have to go into a category, and all categories have to go into sections. It is necessary to set up the sections and categories first, before creating anything to go in them; the Joomla! manual explains that these are like folders and drawers and your room would be a mess if you didn’t. Its easy to move things around later anyway so that’s no big deal.

I found it confusing to add a link to a section and realise that this would then list the categories within it, rather than the items. However I got around this by removing the menu item and creating a new one which pointed directly to the category.

Table – Content Category

The default section listing is horrible, its a big table with the date, the author, the section, the title, the phase of the moon and a bunch of filters and other navigation. The category in question is a list of netball venues and there are about five of them! I faffed around with templates and had a bit of a dig in the code (I knew there was a reason I always use PHP stuff even though I rarely fiddle with the code as it only causes upgrade nightmares), but I couldn’t work it out.

To cut short a long story, in which I learned the true size and depth of the Joomla! community from the sheer volume of material that’s around, what I actually needed to do was edit the properties of the menu item (obviously!) to make the category display differently. I’ve turned off all the guff and now I’ve got a nice, tidy list. sighs contentedly

First impressions

First impressions are that I love Joomla! but I’d need a good reason to install a tool with quite this many capabilities. This website uses textpattern and that’s more than enough for every day, but Joomla! can handle so many different types of content that there’s hardly anything you can’t do. Anyway the main purpose of the new site is to show fixtures so I will soon be trying out some events calendar extensions … I’ll let you know how I go!

02 Jan
2007

My 2006

Well, here we are, 2007 and another year has gone. I’m not one for New Year’s Resolutions (I do have a problem with winter blues so January is a rubbish time for that type of thing for me), but there is always a touch of nostalgia when Big Ben strikes. Here’s my year in brief:

Being unemployed

In January I mostly worked my notice period at my previous workplace, having resigned two days before Christmas more or less on a whim. My boyfriend and I did some maths and figured we’d be much better off if I gave up my job, and our home in Oxfordshire, and I sat in his bedsit unemployed – so I did. It was very hard to leave the good friends I made while working there, so hard in fact that I refused to have a leaving do at all in case I cried (which I did, lots, but not until I was in the car on the way home on the last day – thanks Nic!). I did manage to arrange a trip to the other office in Glasgow as well, to hand over some bits and pieces, and had a fantastic night out with the people there, thanks guys :)

My parents were out of the country in January (a month in New Zealand, lucky things!) so, ably abetted by my sister, I took the opportunity to squirrel everything away at their house. They have been laid back about it but actually I think they just haven’t looked in the loft lately … or the garage, or the shed, or my bedroom!

All Change

Once I then got to Leeds, our new location of choice, I had a job to find. I had lots of interviews and a couple of offers straight away so that was good. We also moved house again, across the city, although since all my stuff is at my parents’ home it was quite straightforward. I do recommend moving without furniture! I started my new job which was quite daunting as I do struggle with new places, and met my new netball team which was fab.

Disaster strikes

I fell over at netball and trashed an ankle in the third minute of my second netball match for Shipley which left me hobbling for quite a long time. In fact, I didn’t drive for five weeks and was off the netball court for a lot longer. Its stronger now, but still not right. Apparently I damaged the ligaments and they will take a while to sort themselves out.

Summer Holidays

We didn’t get a holiday really, although we went camping with friends twice (Cromer in Norfolk and then somewhere in darkest Derbyshire). I don’t mind camping at all, my parents first took me camping at 4 months old (apparently!) and I was a girl guide too so its no hardship providing you are quite organised about it. That said, I did forget both the kettle and the matches this time … oops!

Relocation … or not

The house saga really took up the back end of the year, along with a few parties and an awful lot of netball, and here we are again in January. I feel a very long way from where I was this time last year … putting everything in boxes and thinking that in a few months I’d be unpacking them again. Well those boxes are up mum’s loft still and we’‘re no closer to knowing where or when we’ll unpack them. I’ll probably have completely forgotten what we have, or replaced the things I thought I could manage without and then couldn’t!

Still, who knows what the future holds … my New Years Resolution is to keep facing forwards – what’s yours?

30 Dec
2006

Office Dress: Bags

In the final in this mini series of office dress, I’ve covered suits, shoes, and now its the turn of bags.

I am a hoarder of all things, not least of handbags. I’m forever buying beautful bags and then finding that actually the one I was already using is more useful/comfortable/practical. The best solution would clearly be to use my pink Berghaus rucksack for work just I like I do in “real life”, but it doesn’t really fit in that well with my office image :)

For work I think there are some basic requirements which a bag needs. One is to be pretty spacious as I need my umbrella, wallet/phone/keys combo plus a cardigan or scarf, hairbrush, tissues, gum, lip balm and painkillers. In addition I often pack my mini flask of coffee, maybe a snack or even some lunch, maybe to drop off at the postbox, a music player, and who knows what else (knitting, notebooks, maps, assorted gadgets, penknife, kitchen sink, you get the picture). It must fit onto a shoulder or shoulders, I used to be fine with bags to hold in my hand but since having some RSI problems it isn’t comfortable. Oh and they need to shut at the top to keep the rain out!

Pretty bags are a complete non-starter, they quickly get dirty and often are designed for looks rather than strength. I’m not geeky enough for a briefcase and anyway since I don’t carry papers its completely the wrong shape. I have one I use for intervews and rectangular just isn’t useful! On dry days I have a largish turquoise coloured bag with two sections and handles long enough to put them on my shoulder and tuck the bag under my arm (just). My other favourite is a black leather (actually plastic) record bag which at least keeps most of the water out and looks good with my suit.

I am constantly changing between handbags though, and leaving things behind in the old one! It doesn’t help that I don’t dress remotely smart at weekends and there’s also a weekly office dress-down day to complicate the issue. Maybe I will just give up and go back to the rucksack – it worked when I was a student – what do you think?

30 Dec
2006

Hush Puppies Hysteria

I warn you now that this article is entirely about shoes.

I love Hush Puppies. I have several pairs of them and they’ve all been fabulous! They’re pretty, practical (ish, the soles weren’t made for steep streets!), and very very comfortable.

In the last couple of years I’ve bought:

  • flip flops
  • flat office shoes with velcro strap
  • knee high boots (wedge heeled; tall and beautiful)
  • high-heeled court shoes
  • more smart middle-height heeled shoes
  • this season’s version of the flat velcro strap shoes, as mine are about to disintegrate
  • ankle-high boots

The last two I bought yesterday and today, and its starting to look like a bit of an obsession – every pair is also black! I don’t collect them or anything, I genuinely wear every pair at various times and weathers.

Am I taking this too far? Does anyone else behave in this way or have I gone mad?

28 Dec
2006

Happy Holidays

Slightly late I know as its the 28th today but just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, if you like to celebrate Christmas, and general good wishes of the season if you don’t.

Santa was very good to me this year and I got a new watch (its this one, following on from my earlier rant about ladies watches), lots of nice toiletries, a beautiful casserole dish, a couple of lovely jumpers, and countless other nice things too. I’m very happy that most of the gifts I gave seemed to be well-received as well, its a nice feeling :)

21 Dec
2006

Christmas Holiday To-Do List

Well, I’ve got almost ten days off from work and there’s a few things I’d like to sort out (in addition to the eating, drinking, being merry and lots of visiting I will also be doing!)

  • The comments box on this site – its tiny!
  • Upgrading Textpattern, disgracefully I haven’t done it yet!
  • Upgrading Textpattern for the woollyblanket site as well.
  • Writing some content for above site!
  • Looking at ideas for a website for my netball club. We need a news page, an events diary, a contact form, and some static pages with information and directions to venues and stuff. I haven’t found an open source (LAMP) solution that really fits the bill so all suggestions gratefully received. Its something they definitely need to be able to maintain without my assistance.
  • Choosing a new crochet project – I might even make something for myself.
  • Writing a long-planned mini-series for this site about small meals (I go home for lunch each day). Lots of search hits to this site revolve around food and I am a foodie … so I’m going to write more about food!
  • Removing the blogroll to a separate page of its own and putting in a little feed of recent comments instead … sometimes debates break out in the comments of a post long after I’ve posted it and it would be nice for people to be able to see the activity I think. Especially as most of my visitors are new and don’t see every article as it gets posted.
  • Writing the cringingly long-overdue review of Google Analytics and how I like it, that I promised ages ago.
  • Playing on Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I’m almost at the Water Temple and I can’t get enough.

Now I’ve admitted my to-do list in public, maybe that will help me to actually get started on some of it! Tell me about you, what are your plans for the festive season?

21 Dec
2006

Office Dress: Suits

Suits are the friend of the office-dress-rule-constrained person. At a few places I’ve worked, its been shirt, trousers and shoes for guys, and “appropriate dress” for girls. That’s no help to anyone, its such a vague description. I want a uniform that comes in multipacks of similar pastel shades with no thought required as well!

For some reason I am significantly colder-blooded than most of my (male) colleagues. They seem to sit about in the office in shirts all year round, but after about October, I’m freezing! I’m not a big fan of knitwear as office wear – not in general, but for me personally. The soft, stretchy clothing bundles up around me and turns my curves (which never look great sitting down) into worse rolls than I really have! Jumpers and cardigans are never long enough either and they just stop at a really bad point, making me look heavier than I am.

The solution is simple: trouser suits1 are the way forward. They’re warm, comfortable, and are like wearing trousers and a coat to the office except they match. Its acceptable to wear normal t-shirts underneath a jacket. They don’t look bad with flat shoes. Actually the only downside that I can think of is that they reek slightly of power-dressing. I’m blessed with the ability to look untidy and uncoordinated in every possible situation though, so I doubt I look overdressed!

I have a series of similar black, mostly pinstriped, suits. Dorothy Perkins do a longer leg length in trousers which fits me fine. They are all machine washable and disintegrate after about two years of wearing one or two times per week each. I finally found my uniform and I’m happy … although I’m sure I would produce much better code in jeans, slippers and a pony tail :)

Does anyone else have any tips to share?

Edit: You can also read my thoughts on shoes and bags

1 Machine-washable trouser suits, to be specific.

20 Dec
2006

Meme Tagged

OK, so I’ve been tagged in a post by dotjay for this meme1. The idea is that you write five thing about yourself that people probably didn’t know, and then tag five other people to do the same.

So here goes:

  • When I was twelve, I wanted to grow up to be a concert pianist.
  • I still sleep with cuddly toys, even though I’m 26 and cohabiting. At the moment I have a cuddly gibbon in my bed, he’s got long gangly arms and legs that get wrapped around everywhere but he’s fab. I also have the cuddly tux from thinkgeek that my boyfriend bought for me.
  • My first job out of university was writing football games for gameboy and something called an N-gage which seems to have sunk without trace.
  • I would like to work for myself but I secretly know that I will never do it. I tell everyone I don’t have the confidence but really its because I can’t go for more than an hour without talking.
  • I touch-type at a rate of 70wpm.

I’m not tagging anyone because it feels like a chain letter and in the same way that I read the amusing story on the letter and then delete it, I’m going to join in the game and then stop. I am not superstitious and have never been afraid to break the chain.

If anyone would like to tag themselves and join in then go for it – and add a link in the comments below!

1 I was going to write about what a meme is but actually its best if you read the wikipedia link

20 Dec
2006

Worry About YouTube

I haven’t had a quote-of-the-day for a while, and I just fell across this which really made me think:

The big media companies shouldn’t worry that people will post their copyrighted material on YouTube. They should worry that people will post their own stuff on YouTube, and audiences will watch that instead.

Its from The Power of the Marginal , a long but riveting article that appeared in my RSS feed from joel.reddit.com

The point being made here is spot on. The problem with easily-available media isn’t the proliferation of existing material being accessed by people who haven’t paid for the privilege. The risk is that the “little people”, the non-corporate-financed underlings, will be able to tap into the same channels as the big guys and reach the same audiences. We live in interesting times, don’t you think?