Blog Changes.

I've added a few widgets and other little tweaks to make it easier for readers to stay updated as well as helping the readers communicate with me and the rest of the visitors.

The most obvious is the status bar that's always visible at the bottom of the page. This will allow a more public way to follow the blog as well as making discussions more visible. My hope is that it'll be an easy way for readers to ask me questions, share their thoughts, and tell me what they'd like to see happen on the blog. I'd like it to evolve into a way for readers and visitors to easily discuss with each other as well.

At the very bottom of the blog (below the last visible post and above the footer image) is an option to subscribe to a newsletter that will be sent to your email detailing new content on the blog as soon as it's updated. It'll provide more information than the standard Blogspot subscription notice and will be specifically written by me.

The sidebar on the right of the page has also gotten a couple of neat widgets. The first is my Twitter feed that shows my most recent tweets as well as providing a link to follow me directly. Below that is the stylistically obtuse "Share" widget that will allow you to share the site on Twitter or Facebook. I'm hoping to figure out a way to make that particular widget blend with the site's design better but, until then, it will have to stick out like a pecker at a strip bar (gotta love Southern metaphors). Maybe that contrast will draw the eye and promote some word-of-mouth to get going!

That's all the tweaks for now. If there's something you'd like to see or something that you don't like that I've added, let me know in the status bar at the bottom of the page or in the comments of this post. I'll see what I can do as far as adding site elements goes but removing these additions will be pretty easy. They're entirely opt-in though, so don't feel as if I'm forcing you to give up information that you'd rather not share with my limited readership.

Looking for a new apartment?

If you're in the market for a change in your abode, might I recommend Apartment Ninjas? If you're here in ATX they've got the tools to find great deals on Austin apartments like the ones at 21 and Rio or any of the other West Campus apartments. Need more incentive? Use the Ninjas to locate a place and then list them as your referrer on your lease and get a $150 rebate to sweeten the deal.

Format change coming.

Since I just got a MacBook Pro I now have access to iWeb and thought I'd mess around with it for this blog. Expect some major revisions to come soon. Hell, I may even start posting on here once I do so. Don't hold your breath though.

I've got a new addiction.

I always thought everyone was blowing smoke out their ass when they said the real sugar cokes are better than the normal ones until I drank one of these Mexican ones. It's amazing. It's the same, but different. Like a bed with new sheets, it's what you've been enjoying this whole time, but so much more comfortable. I need to see if I can start buying these in bulk before I have to open a line of credit at that gas station that sells bongs.

Anyways, I submitted some of my poems to a magazine a few weeks ago. No word yet on whether they've been accepted or not but I'm pretty hopeful. If they do get published, it's $300 minimum in my pocket. That'd be nice. Oh yeah, and being published would be nice too, I suppose.

Speaking of money, it's nice to finally have some. No more having to decide whether I want Ramen or Cheerios for dinner.

I heard Ray Akins got into trouble for something. Apparently him and Eddie Shauberger had some shady dealings or something. I don't really care about him anymore since he made his blog private a few months or weeks or whatever ago. OH WELL.

So I'm back in Liberty for the summer. I'm pretty damn bored. You might've figured that out by the fact that I'm making a blog post about Coke and shit. I don't even have my motorcycle since I didn't have a way to bring it home when I left. I'll probably go up this weekend and get it, though. I want to ride it back to Liberty but I'd need somebody to drive my truck back as well.

I want to spend some time in a foreign country. Like a month or something. Brazil would be dope but I don't know Portuguese. Ireland's up in my list too. I should find out their drinking age since a trip to Ireland without booze is like going to Amsterdam and not visiting a "tea" shop.

Amsterdam would be nice too.

I changed my desktop again.

I shouldn't surf hungry.

http://bonniewalton.com/

A former long-time neighbor's website, home to some of the most delicious-looking things this side of ecstacy. Check her out and tell her I sent ya.


On an unrelated note, I think I've got enough finished poems that I'm finally comfortable with sending some out to publishers so stay tuned to see how that turns out.

I'm Twittering now.

So you might get more updates from me there. If you're really that desperate. 

I'll just post the link since it's changed.

https://twitter.com/JohnOdum