Me: So, Katabasis, you've been sporting that classic kind of 'Roman proclamation' look for some time now.
Katabasis: Yup. I like it. Classic is my bag.
Me: Yeah, but you've got your links and everything all up on the left like that, and everyone else has had them on the right since like, forever.
Katabasis: So?
Me: So, I'm just saying, you could make yourself a little more accessible with some small changes, that's all.
Katabasis: Like what?
Me: Like switching which side you part your links on. Maybe trading in the serifs for something a little more modern. Arial is practically classic now.
Katabasis: Hmmm.... But serifs always make things more readable.
Me: Not on the web, my friend. Plus, you could use some borders instead of just text styles to separate content--you know, make your titles really POP.
Katabasis: Popping is good.
Me: Yeah, and if you want to get really hip, you could put a picture of me up over your calendar so everyone could fix a face to the genius who posts the brilliant prose here so infrequently.
Katabasis: (sighs) I don't think that's going to work out. You know you have that thing about photography--it stealing your soul or whatever.
Me: Not stealing your soul, just your memory. It reifies memories, mediating your relationship to the remembered by replacing it with an index. Graven images, you know?
Katabasis: Not really, but anyway, you don't have a whole lot of pictures of you.
Me: I suppose that's true. Maybe we could go with something a little more thematic, like 'Teiresias in Hades.'
Katabasis: Um, yeah, that would be cool if anyone had a picture of Hades.
Me: Right. How about the acropolis at Eritrea?
Katabasis: Sounds good, though there is this funny picture from Halloween.
(courtesy of Michele)
Me: (coughs) I think I like the acropolis better.
Katabasis: (grins) Suits me fine.
Me: There's just one other thing.
Katabasis: What?
Me: The blue. It's boring. Jeans are blue. The sky is blue. Blue is so non-committal, so blah. It's Spring! It's time to lighten up.
Katabasis: You mean, like aqua?
Me: No, like the new pink.
Katabasis: What's that?
Me: Trust me.
I'm vaguely worried by the suggestions that left-aligned links are for suckers, and a lack of borders marks the page owner as a fuddy-duddy. I feel pressed to update my image or fall by the style wayside. Should I admit that I miss the serifs already? Am I dooming myself to obsolescence by admitting that I think those little extra strokes are classy?
...But all these fears wash away when I gaze upon the new layout and bask in its reflected hipness. I should be so stylish.
I changed fonts on my page immediately after reading this entry. I ain't no fuddy-duddy!
I'm not calling anyone a fuddy-duddy. After all, I'm the one with ruins on my page. I just felt like if I was going to go against the grain with a print-style page, I ought to go all the way, you know, with page numbers, standard width colums, rename my menu "table of contents," that sort of thing. And that was a lot of work.
i like the new pink. also, though i could claim credit for things i didn't do, i must own up to not having taken that picture. i think it was gene. sigh. i am lame. and i don't even know what font my page is in.
Isn't it Comic Sans?
hmm...that does sound like something i would do. i like comedy.
this format is sexy and i just might like it.
hey! i lied. i did take that picture. sweet.