Saturday, March 6, 2010

been working on this blog makeover all night while the pale yellow moon shone in my eyes and now the sun is rising...



In the past few months I took the What Color Ideas Do You Have? quiz
and the What Color Should Your Blog Be? quiz .......with the following results:

My Ideas are Purple
When you think, you tend to have intelligent and complex ideas.
You could never explain where your thoughts come from. Your thinking process is very mysterious.
Your ideas tend to be difficult to grasp. You are very wise, and your ideas tend to have many layers.
You are a spiritual and enlightened person. Even your simplest idea packs a profound punch.

My Blog Should Be Purple
You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything. You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey. You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say.

{Note: I see some of the above "analysis" as true..... however I do know this: 
I am most certainly not the one most likely to write a meme!}


Since my two-year blogversary I have been working behind the scenes toward a change of appearance for Writerquake. I don't have all the kinks figured out yet -- centering the header, for instance -- but it's time for the "maiden voyage" and I hope everything works. Please let me know if anything looks askew because different browsers sometimes alter aspects of templates and headers.

The marvelously artistic Dan Turner -- Dan Turner fine art -- gave permission for me to use his beautiful piece, Midnight Cocoon, for my blog header. Thank you so much, Dan! Not only does it contain purple, a color I like very much, but it contains my favorite shade of red-orange, plus some other shades I appreciate, including aqua and taupe-grey. I love the gossamer light and comforting shadows. Actually, I love everything about it!

Here is Dan Turner's description of Midnight Cocoon:
This fanciful shell design glows as if illuminated by a Serengeti campfire under a moonlit African sky. Rivers of color flow into one another to create a secure, dream-like aura.

Here is the song I thought of when I read Dan's words:



Under African Skies - (words and music by Paul Simon; sung with Linda Ronstadt)

Joseph's face was black as night
The pale yellow moon shone in his eyes
His path was marked
By the stars in the southern hemisphere
And he walked his days
Under african skies 


This is the story of how we begin to remember
This is the powerful pulsing of love in the vein
After the dream of falling and calling your name out
These are the roots of rhythm
And the roots of rhythm remain

In early memory
Mission music
Was ringing 'round my nursery door
I said take this child, lord
From tucson arizona
Give her the wings to fly through harmony
And she won't bother you no more

This is the story of how we begin to remember
This is the powerful pulsing of love in the vein
After the dream of falling and calling your name out
These are the roots of rhythm
And the roots of rhythm remain

Joseph's face was black as night
And the pale yellow moon shone in his eyes
His path was marked
By the stars in the southern hemisphere
And he walked the length of his days
Under african skies




Here is my wish:  that you find favor with these blog changes wherever you are......under African skies, or those of Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America, island places, airy spaces (and Antarctica?)



And here is a quote about change:

Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.
~Bertold Brecht 


20 comments:

YogaforCynics said...

Barely recognized the place, but like it.

Purple rules.

Erin Davis said...

Purple looks great on you, Lydia! Dan's piece is stunning, and this Paul Simon song has one of my favorite lines: "This is the story of how we begin to remember..."

kj said...

lydia, the background color is great, very soothing and abit spiritual.

it's all looking very fine! i'm impressed.

love
kj

Anonymous said...

Hi dear Lydia!
Award for you in my blog :)

Owen said...

Hi Lydia, WOW ! What a change... I think it's fantastic. And you obviously figured out how to do some interesting things, like have the width of the text adjust itself to the width of the browser window... I haven't seen any other blogs that do that... and the sidebar adjusts automatically too... some nifty programming to do that I guess. Love your old post card of the cathedral in Port au Prince...

Hattie said...

Aren't face lifts fun?

Phivos Nicolaides said...

I always like and support change, especially innovative, like you have done! This is great dear Lydia.

Lydia said...

YogaforCynics~ It kinda shocks me when I sign in, so will take some adjusting to. I remember your post about purple when you did the excellent color series...

Erin~ That's one of my favorite lines too!
So glad you appreciate the header and changes here.

kj~ Thank you for letting me know your opinion. I tried darker shades for background but they were just too dark for me.
I'm glad you like the changes!

Kata~ O, you are sweet! I will come by this weekend to see it. In the meantime, you have a great weekend!

Owen~ Whew. All is well when I get great comments like these here, and yours specifically. I'm thrilled. I cannot, however, take credit if the text adjusts to the browser. For the life of me, I don't know what magic is creating that! This is the "Stretch Denim Light" classic template at Blogger...with major color changes obviously.
I love that postcard too; one of my favorites yet.

Hattie~ Well, the one at my blog sure was. I would have some tweaking here and there done on myself if I could afford it... :)

Phivos~ O, thanks much for your endorsement of these changes...and change in general!

Rhiannon said...

I just love all the purple and vivid colors on your header! Keep it! I've seemed to really get into purple so much in the last two years or so. I even wear it a lot...I wouldn't have even thought of myself as "ever" wearing purple or picking it for decorating my apartment...but I have! Purple feels "good" doesn't it?

"Give her wings to fly through harmony" ...I like those lyrics from the Paul Simon song.

Keep the good work up...but make it all about your "enjoyment" and how you feel as you "blog along".

Onward my friend...sailing through the change to a future, with a more understanding world and country!

Love,

Rhi

bfk said...

Surprise. (Nothing endures but change.)

I like it very much. The Romans, who counted, wore purple and it didn't hurt them at all. Good choice, Lydia.

La Belette Rouge said...

Your blog looks gorgeous. It looks like a Frank Gehry sunset. And, I love Frank Gehry. All your hard work paid off. LOVELY!
xoxo

koe said...

it really looks great. you made some really bold changes. I like it a lot.

naomi dagen bloom said...

Beautiful makeover, Lydia. And thanks for keeping Haiti on our minds.

Lydia said...

Rhi~ Thank you for your warm, encouraging, and uplifting comments. That last line is magnificent!
I have only one item of clothing that is purple. It's not a color I've gravitated toward in that way. Maybe I'll get more when I ever shop again!

bfk~ Your opinion counts big time with me, and has for a good portion of my life actually! So I'm glad you like this.

Belette~ O, thank you so much, and for the comparison to an artist that I must now Google (someone new to me). :)

koe~ So glad you like it. Bold. Yes, that is true and I realized it when I signed on tonight after being away from the computer all day. I was shocked by my own blog!
I put the old header down at the bottom of the page and I'm glad it's there should I feel a need for psychic retreats. :)

Naomi~ Thank you so much. And thank you for keeping issues awake at your blog (some of the local issues/news have been fascinating to read there!).

La Belette Rouge said...

Here is one of Gehry's buildings that your header made me think of: http://artlitideas.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/frank_gehry_star_wood_hotel_3.jpg

Lydia said...

Belette~ !!!!! As soon as the shot came on screen I said out loud, "O, my gosh!" Feather, white kitty in my lap, fidgeted a bit then continued to purr. I'm purring too, because I think this building is spectacular and it does remind me of Midnight Cocoon by Dan Turner.
Since I didn't know Gehry when you first wrote about him I didn't know what kind of art I would be looking at. This is a big hit for me because I love architecture, and innovative architects. :)

La Belette Rouge said...

I am so glad you like it. Gehry is not everyones taste. I am a huge fan. I have even dreamt of his buildings. I visit his Disney concert in LA just for the building. I am delighted to introduce you to him. If you are interested there is a fantastic and widely available documentary by Sidney pollack in which he interviews Frank Gehry for two hours. It is fascinating.

Lydia said...

Belette~ I will look for the documentary (I love Sidney Pollack anyway!) and thank you so much for opening my eyes to someone/something new. Disney concert? I'll have to read about that!

j said...

Your blog looks wonderful -- I love the colorful header and the purple sensibility (apparently my ideas and my blog are green, but I've already forgotten what that means). And the song is spot-on.

Lydia said...

Jennifer~ I am so happy to have your positive response to the changes! I'm looking at that purple behind you in your profile photo...maybe it is actually pink...but I've always loved that shot.

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