Elizabeth November 1st, 2011

We’ve had a beautiful long weekend here in Melbourne, thanks to a little horse race known as the Melbourne Cup.  It’s been such a luxury to have those extra two days away from work, and it feels like it’s been a week since I’ve thought about work!  I’m not really looking forward to hearing my alarm tomorrow morning but I’m glad that I only need to get through three days in the office this week.  I’m going to have to try pretty hard to not undo all this relaxation.

I had a few plans for this extra-long weekend, and the most important one was to get started on a painting to give to my Mum & Dad for Christmas.  The two little apples above are what I came up with, and even though I’m only 95% sure that it’s finished I’m really happy with how they’ve come out.  I’m looking forward to seeing how it will look framed and finding out where it will hang in my parents’ house.

Maybe they’ll just stick it on their fridge like they did back in the day!

I haven’t mentioned yet that I’ve started a new term of art classes at Melbourne Studio of Art and we’re almost up to week three.  This term the class is being split between two teachers – Michael Gray for painting, and for drawing a teacher who is new to me, Ju-Yuen Chew.

I can already tell that Ju-Yuen is going to kick my butt where technique is concerned, and get me out of the tiny little comfort zone that I’ve developed in my first 8 weeks of classes.  I learned so much in my first lesson with her, including how reliant I am on tonal work to make an object look believable.  It’s really, really hard for me to just draw an outline, and this is something that I’m going to have to work on.  Whether I like it or not!

In our last lesson we focused on negative space (ie. drawing the space between objects, rather than the objects themselves).  It’s an exercise that forces you to really look at what’s in front of you rather than just trust what you already know about the shape of a cube, a sphere, a bottle etc.  It’s an excellent problem-solving technique if you can’t figure out what’s “wrong” with the object you’re drawing.

Sometimes I forget that I’ve only been doing this for a short time.  I know that I have come an extremely long way in only 10 weeks of lessons, and it’s something that I wish I had started when I was younger.  I guess I always assumed that drawing was something that “other people” were good at, and now I know that it really is something that anybody can learn how to do.  When I look at the work that my classmates present at the end of each lesson I realise that we are all basically kicking butt at this thing, and that’s really encouraging.

I realised the other day that I haven’t shared my very first drawing here, from the first class of last term.  It’s pretty funny to look at, but it represents the absolute limit of my knowledge and ability just a couple of months ago.  I dug it out today and photographed it so that I could remember how far I’ve come.

In contrast, this is my drawing from Week 1 of my second term of classes.

We didn’t have a class this week because of the long weekend, so I’m glad I managed to fit in some painting on my own at home.  Next week is another drawing class, and then the week after that we’re back with Michael for painting.

Painting used to be something that I was terrified of, but not any more!

Oh!  One more thing.  This month I will be posting every day for NaBloPoMo – National Blog Posting Month.  The name is silly (especially since it’s INternational these days!) but it’s a great motivator to bring you something new every day.  I’d really love to hear from you in the comments this month, just to reassure me that I’m not talking to myself!

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Elizabeth August 31st, 2011

31 Photos in 31 Days

August was a crazy little month in my part of the world!

My family welcomed two teeny tiny baby boys named Archie and Harrison, my big brother moved to London, and a certain handsome boy I know turned thirty-two.  Just last week one of my lovely friends told me that she is expecting (hooray!) and Tim started his new job after job hunting for six months.

That’s quite a lot of happy news to cram into one month!  Not to mention the fun we’re having at our weekly art classes at Melbourne Studio of Art, which are always such a highlight of our week.

August has had its troubles, but for the most part it’s been very good to me and my little household.  It has certainly provided an awful lot of stories to share with you here!

I thought I might link up my favourite posts from August, since I have been quite prolific this month!  Here are a few links for those wanting to catch up:

This boy
Fifty minutes
August sunset 
My brother and me
Hip hip, hooray!
Melbourne Studio of Art – Week 4
The girl with the red balloon
Washi tape!
Paper dolls by Mel Stringer
Gran’s desk
Melbourne Studio of Art – Week 6 

There’s just one more thing to do before we can welcome September, and that’s to say a great big thank you to Tracey from sh1ft.org for hosting 31 Photos in 31 Days this month!

I will be completely honest here and tell you that if not for this photography challenge there is no way that I’d have posted here every day.  Now that it’s done I’m really looking forward to using this momentum to make my blog even better in September!

How was your August?  Are you ready for September?

• Blogging , Life
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Elizabeth July 28th, 2011

Image from Andrew Chen

I don’t often blog about blogging here, but there are some excellent points raised in this post by Marta Writes that I think every blogger should read.

the crappy parts of blogging come in a number of forms; i will name a few. you are fearful about putting yourself out there. you feel greedy; you want what they have. you care too much of what others may think. you don’t get any comments. you can’t think up anything original to post about. you copy and paste everything onto your own blog. you are inspired by others but feel that you cannot possibly inspire others. you get sucked into everyone else’s life. you are green with envy. you have unreal assumptions about bloggers. you start thinking everyone is more successful, talented, and all around better than you are. sound familiar??

if you start down this path, you’ll begin to imagine that you are the only blogger who cannot cook, who cannot scrapbook, who cannot modge podge correctly, who cannot write hilarious memoirs, who cannot reupholster, who cannot be fashionable on a dime, who cannot be a fun mom, a darling wife or a super business woman all at once. and you can certainly not attempt to bake those tiny cupcake balls and dip them into little lollipops with sesame street character features that will be recognizable to your one year old at the party that you are throwing him that better be blogable, or else.

I totally recommend reading the entire article if you are a blogger.

I’ve been blogging for a long time now. A really long time. I was blogging 11 or 12 years ago when “blog” wasn’t a word that people knew – myself included! I used to update a static HTML page with my own code and manually enter things like timestamps. It was primitive, and I didn’t know many other people who were doing it. Certainly nobody else in “real life”.

Blogging is so much more mainstream now. Blogging is, if you want it to be, a profession! And I’ll admit, I love the way that blogging has become such an excellent source of news, opinion, reviews and inspiration. I spend large portions of my free time reading other blogs, and occasionally large amounts of my cash on the beautiful products and places that my peers are writing about! More important are the “me too” moments that we have when we read about somebody’s experiences – good and bad. The feedback we sometimes receive, or can give to each other. The community.

But sometimes I worry that blogging has become a little too polished. The newest wave of bloggers are so media-savvy and image-conscious, and so determined to present themselves in the best possible light. It’s understandable too, when you look at the statistics. The traffic belongs to the positive, picture-perfect, strong women.

We have to hope that they feel just as accomplished and validated in their real lives as they do on their blogs!

I’m not trying to be critical of these people, because some of my favourite bloggers fall into this category. However, I know that it is so easy to look at these people and feel defeated. It can be paralysing, it can cause you to stop writing, to stop trying to build on the wonderful things you’re already doing. I know this first hand, because I have been guilty of some of the pointless behaviour that Marta writes about in her article.

I think I got over most of that attitude a long time ago, and I think it started when I acknowledged that these superstar bloggers had put a dent in my mojo. It’s funny how instantly I was able to see how stupid that thinking was! It’s not a competition, there is no finish line. And readers can tell straight away if you’re writing sincerely or not.

So, here’s to running my own race!

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Elizabeth June 16th, 2011

Yesterday the fabulous Pip Lincolne of Meet Me At Mikes introduced me to new iPhone app called Bloapp. Funny name, but a cute idea!

Blog owners can set up their site on Bloapp (and customise the design), and readers can use the app to bookmark their favourites. The front page looks a little like the iPhone desktop, and just like the desktop you can rearrange your blogs by dragging them around the screen.

This is mine so far! Obviously, I am yet to find many other bloappers! (I guess that’s a word now?)

Once you click on the logo of the blog you want to see, it produces a list of posts like this.

Then click on a post to read the whole thing.

This is one of Pip’s recent posts. Pip’s blog is basically the happiest place on earth, so if you’re not already following her you should!

Overall, Bloapp is a really nifty idea, and although it’s very early days I can see its potential. The app seems to embed videos and open external links well, but as far as I can tell there’s no way to leave a comment yet. I would be very surprised if that wasn’t one of the next features to arrive!

The app is free, and can be downloaded from the iTunes store. To add my blog just search for “Scarlet Words” or use the inbuilt QR reader to read this image:

Please tell me if you’re a blogger who uses this app – I’d love to add you to my bookmarks!

• Blogging , iPhone
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Elizabeth November 24th, 2010

So.

I’ve noticed more than one participant of NaBloPoMo making throwaway posts this month because life was getting in the way of quality content. In fact, even the creator of the whole Blog Posting Month made one last week so maybe we should be following her example?

All I know is that it’s finally time I used my get-out-of-jail-free card, since I have been struck down with The Black Plague a bad cold and all I want to do is sleep.

We will return you to your regular programming tomorzzzzZZzZzZzZZZzzzZzz…..

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Elizabeth November 1st, 2010

All of a sudden it’s the first day in November, which means one thing – NaBloPoMo time! For those who haven’t heard of it, National Blog Posting Month is the blogger’s answer to NaNoWriMo (aka National Novel Writing Month) in which a bunch of ambitious people set out to write a novel in the month of November.

I think we bloggers get it a little easier, somehow.

Anyway, I’ve participated for the past few years and have always been glad to be a part of it. It’s an awesome way to meet new people as well. So I hope that if you’re stopping by for the first time that you’ll drop me a note to say hello!

My hastily-constructed plan for the next month:

1. Discover some new kickass bloggers, and tell you all about them
2. Document some of the awesome Etsy purchases I’ve made lately
3. “Show and tell” some stuff from my house and real life
4. Break out my camera a little more
5. Put the finishing touches on my new blog design

I’m looking forward to checking in here every day for the month of November, hope you’ll do the same!

(Are you blogging every day in November? Leave me a little note so that I can pay you a visit!)

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Elizabeth July 14th, 2010

Borrowed from Epheriell Designs

I’m worried that I might be losing my blogging mojo.

Real life has been difficult to write about lately. Nothing terrible has happened, and there has been no earth-shattering news. Things are ticking along quite well in most areas of my life and for the most part life is good.

So why can’t I write?

I have some theories.

Once upon a time I used to write candidly (and regularly) on a fairly private blog. I had a strong readership of ‘trusted strangers’ who used to follow my little adventures and offer their thoughts. Over time a lot of real-life people started to read along, and I began to fear that damage might be done with thoughtless words. I’ve never been big on speaking to real-life people through my blog, so I think I began to choose my words more carefully.

But, real life happens and it doesn’t make sense to keep a personal blog without acknowledging the things that go on. Otherwise it would just become a catalogue of links and other peoples’ pictures. Yawn.

There’s an awful lot of unwritten Real Life from the past couple of years that I wish I could talk about now. A couple of friendships have been let go, and wasted energy restored. It would serve no purpose to re-hash it all here, but these were big decisions that have helped to shape the person I’m becoming.

I like this person way better than the old one, for what it’s worth. But that doesn’t mean that these changes haven’t left a dent or two.

So, I’ll continue to mull over these ideas and figure out some balance that will keep me blogging and engaged with you guys again. I miss this place a lot lately.

How are things with you?

• Blogging , Life
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Elizabeth November 1st, 2009

It’s that time of year again, where I attempt to entertain you every day for the month of November!

Here’s a little blurb about NaBloPoMo, from the FAQ:

The whole thing started off as a goof based on National Novel Writing Month, the challenge of which is to try to write an entire novel during the month November. Not everyone can commit to an endeavor of such magnitude, though, and so National Blog Posting Month was born. However, after doing a November NaBlo for a couple of years in a row it seemed that a lot of people had found their momentum and wanted to keep going into December and beyond. So now NaBloPoMo is something you can drop into any month of the year, though November is still the biggest month, and is the only month when members donate prizes that are then given out randomly to other members who posted every day in November.

I wasn’t sure if my heart was in NaBloPoMo this year, but I know I’ll be cranky if I have to watch everyone else doing it! The satisfaction of finishing those 30 days is too great to pass up, and besides – I always discover the most interesting blogs in November as I scour the web for inspiration.

And now that I’ve created an elaborate graphic to mark the occasion, I guess I’m locked in! Feel free to use the image above on your own blog if you’re participating this year, or throw this one in your sidebar:

(Please save the images to your own server.)

I’ve also decided to donate a couple of prizes to the prize pool. Pending Eden’s approval, I’ll be donating an Aussie-themed food/confectionary pack (to an overseas participant), and an 8×12″ print from my photography portfolio at Scarlet Arts.

So – who’s with me? I’d like to set up a folder in my RSS reader of other bloggers participating in the NaBloPoMo madness. Leave me a comment if you’ve signed up!

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Elizabeth November 28th, 2008

In many ways November has been a terrible month to commit to daily blogging.

My new workplace, until this month, has been remarkably kind to me as I have learned the ropes. I was given a month-long handover, a lengthy orientation in which I sat with colleagues from different departments, and a really supportive set of co-workers.

And while they continue to be supportive, they suddenly see me as somebody who has everything under control. I have become the go-to person for all sorts of issues that I hadn’t even considered a few weeks ago. Issues that are suddenly my responsibility to solve, develop or take ownership of.

I’m in a new, challenging phase of work where I really don’t know what will be waiting for me each morning when I walk through the door. So far I’m doing well to keep all the balls in the air, but it’s a hell of a way to learn to juggle!

So while I admit that my posts have been a little on the light side, content-wise, I’m pretty happy that I’ve stuck with NaBloPoMo. By the time this month ends I’ll have crossed one more item off my list (to post one photo every day), and that’s worth plenty on its own. The fact that I’ve posted a little extra each day was a bonus, and mostly good fun.

So I want to thank everybody who has been following me this month, especially if you’ve just discovered my blog. I hope you understand that the lack of inspirational posts has not been the result of a lack of interest on my part – just a lack of hours in the day! The nature of my workplace means that things will really slow down in a couple of weeks, and one of the luxuries I am looking forward to is the time to write here more regularly.

Well, in between interstate and international visitors!

• Blogging , Life
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Elizabeth November 13th, 2008

I know my posts have been a little lightweight for the past few days. For some reason I have been sleeping badly all week, and although I’m falling into bed at the first available opportunity I’m just not rested when I wake up. It doesn’t help that I’m completely under the pump at work, and really need all my remaining brainpower to keep my head above water there.

Somehow, despite being the “new kid” at work, I have become the go-to person for every question under the sun. I am secretly pleased with myself for being able to dig up the answers 99% of the time, but I could really do without the constant tests!

I am considering learning to juggle. My boss told me today that I don’t need lessons.

Life is good, it’s just that my resources are a little bit stretched. And that doesn’t seem to make for particularly inspired blogging. I thought it might help to put that in writing, so that you know that I know. Y’know?

Tomorrow is Friday. My dad is coming to stay with us for a couple of days while he’s in between conferences, and we’ll see him for another few days next week too. Rather than attempting that awkward, “Dad? This is my blog…” conversation, I imagine I’ll continue to be brief on the days he’s here!

I’ll continue to update in some form every day, so keep dropping in. Meanwhile, if you have an interesting link to share, leave me a comment!

• Blogging , Life
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Elizabeth November 1st, 2008

November is the time of year when I give this blog a shake-up, and rediscover my love of posting with the help of NaBloPoMo. National Blog Posting Month is a challenge to post every single day in November, which – as many of you know – is a stark contrast to the haphazard way in which I usually update this thing!

I always emerge from NaBloPoMo feeling reconnected to the blogging community, and “back in the game”. I’m looking forward to joining in again this year.

I have decided to set myself a couple of additional guidelines this year:

1. Palin/McCain satire does not count as an update. I will continue to share the funny/scary stuff that I discover, but will have to post on at least one other topic in order to qualify.
2. I will be digging through my unprocessed photo negatives, and posting one undiscovered photo every day.
3. I will link to at least one interesting blog per day.

That means a minimum of two posts per day (one photo, one written), and an excuse to spend lots of time reading what other bloggers have to say. I have decided to set up a dedicated NaBloPoMo section in my RSS reader for other participants that I come across, so please leave me a comment if you’d like me to keep track of your blog too!

And, as always, please send me any interesting sites, articles, videos and webapps that you discover. I am likely to need inspiration on the days when I come home from work brain-fried!

So who’s joining me?

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Elizabeth June 19th, 2008

My computer has terminated the little agreement we had, whereby it turned on when I needed it and then I used it for stuff. I came home the other day to find that it has more or less fried itself. It’s funny how much bigger and uglier a computer looks when it can’t even tell you the weather anymore.

So I’m basically counting on the fact that my hard drives are fine, and that I haven’t lost the trillions of photos, documents and music files that they’re holding. I have no reason to think that every component is broken, so for now I’m assuming that they’re okay. Fingers crossed it’s just my video card, and then business can go on as usual. It’s just that all the waiting and expense really sucks.

I wrote all about it a couple of days ago on my LG Viewty, which was really cool and liberating until the moment I hit the “Publish” button. Doing that logged me out of WordPress and I lost everything I’d written. My dream of blogging from the tram isn’t yet a reality, but at least I can steal Tim’s laptop sometimes.

Meanwhile, I can check your comments from my phone, so tell me something good. What’s new with you?

• Blogging , Life
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Elizabeth June 1st, 2008

Remember that scene from Run Fatboy Run, when Dennis finally begins training for the marathon, and the only reason he doesn’t stop is because Mr. Goshdashtidar is following him on his scooter and hitting him with a spatula?

Well, right now I need a Mr. Goshdashtidar in my life. Somebody to remind me that I am neglecting some important aspects of my life, and to keep the spatula just a few inches from my butt. But since I don’t have a crazy Indian landlord with a scooter and kitchen utensils, I thought I’d write about it here instead.

I’ve decided to embrace the start of a new month by making some positive changes.

The truth is that I’ve been in a bit of a slump for the last couple of months. I’ve been working in my new job for a few months now, and the situation there has become pretty hard to bear. I’m lucky enough to share my role with a girl who has become a good friend, but she’s the one oasis in an otherwise miserable workplace.

Things are going well in other aspects of my life, of course. Tim and I have gone from strength to strength, our little dog has adjusted to his new life really well, and Melbourne is still an incredible place to explore in our free time. We’re slowly making new friends in this city, and I think both of us are now feeling completely at home here. I feel lucky to have so much good stuff happening in my life.

But in many ways this job is ruining me. It’s a job where I really don’t get any personal satisfaction whatsoever. I don’t leave at the end of the day feeling like I have achieved something. I don’t derive any enjoyment from the menial tasks that I do, because they contribute very little and somebody else gets the credit for them anyway. I don’t get to help clients or coworkers in any sort of meaningful way. I don’t have any opportunity to extend myself and grow as a person – every day is exactly the same as the day before.

All this would be bearable if I was making more money, because I could be making better use of my free time. I could focus on saving up for a new computer to replace the one that is breaking, or the hot air balloon ride that I am dying to take someday soon. I could treat myself to a kickass all-day breakfast whenever I felt like it, or buy myself a couple of new shirts for work. The sad reality is that my salary covers my bills – and nothing more. Living month-to-month is just something I have to do right now.

The long-term plan is to use the “experience” that I am gaining to ask more of my next position. When I took this job I had just come out of a long period of self-employment, one that gave me very little to offer in an office environment. I am surviving all of this by reminding myself that it’s not forever – there is more out there and next time I can have it. It’s the short-term plan that has left me stumped, and caused me to neglect myself and the stuff I care about.

So for the last two months I’ve been undoing all the hard work I did at the beginning of the year with my diet and exercise. As you’ve noticed, I’ve badly neglected this blog. I haven’t been writing in my paper journal, haven’t listened to any new music, haven’t sought out or created any art. My workdays just drain me of energy and creativity, and even the desire to take care of myself properly. It really can’t go on.

So I’ve made a few decisions…

Firstly, I’ve decided to use part of my workdays in ways that benefit me personally. I might start by writing in my paper journal in my lunch hour, and using quieter parts of the day to plan/write blog posts. I’m still not comfortable blogging from work, but I can at least email them to myself and publish them from home. I have zero remorse in using work time for personal endeavours, since my workplace provides me with so little. My work will still get done.

Secondly, I want to start making my lunches more often in order to cut out some of the bad stuff I’m eating. I’ve been finding it really hard to eat well with the onset of Winter, but putting it in the “too hard” basket isn’t an option. From now on, Sunday to Thursday is dedicated to eating well – no matter what. That means less bread, rice and potatoes. More salad, maybe with soup. The plan is to eat my biggest meal in the middle of the day, and better plan my meals at night.

Thirdly, I need to get more exercise. It’s dark when I leave for work in the morning, and dark again when I leave the office. I start work at 8am, and it takes me an hour to get there. Exercising in the morning is basically not an option, since I am already getting up at 5:30 just to make it out the door on time. I need to find ways of exercising at night, even though it’s dark and cold and I just want to fall into bed.

Fourthly, I really really need to get stuck back into my 101 Things in 1001 Days list. I’ve actually managed to cross a couple of items off my list in the last couple of months without really trying (I’ll write about these in a later post), but I’ve stopped using it as a tool for keeping me on track with my goals. I’m looking forward to getting that positive momentum back in my life.

And lastly…

This blog has been a really big motivator for me, thanks to the comments and emails that you guys send me from time to time. It certainly wasn’t a deliberate decision that caused me to stop writing here – just a general case of “the blahs” that made it seem too hard. I’d like you guys to think of yourselves as the wooden spoon hovering right near my butt, and giving me a bit of a slap if you notice me falling off the wagon.

With that in mind, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave me a comment with any ideas you have for making these changes. I’m particularly interested in hearing how you eat well in Winter when all you can think about is potatoes and steak and pasta and ohmygod did I mention potatoes?

• 101 in 1001 , Blogging , Health & Fitness , Life
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Elizabeth March 30th, 2008

Thanks to the few people who sent me concerned emails today when they noticed my site was looking screwy. Something broke when I upgraded to WordPress 2.5, and it took about an hour to get everything running again. It’s funny how it only takes 10 mins to upgrade WordPress 4 out of 5 times, but the exception to the rule is always a massive shitfight.

Anyway, I’m so far quite impressed with the latest version, except for two things. The first (minor) annoyance is the ugly colour scheme, which will no doubt be tinkered with further down the line. The second issue is a bit more serious, and I imagine it has affected other bloggers out there even more than me.

The first sign that something was wrong was when my 101 Things in 1001 Days page led me to a 404. None of the other pages were broken, so I assumed that something was screwy in my database. Strangely, I could edit the page without any problems from the WordPress Dashboard, so I knew the page itself wasn’t damaged.

Further experimentation has led me to believe that this version of WordPress cannot handle numerical URLs properly. Here’s the URL of my 1001 Days page:

http://www.scarletwords.com/1001/

I experimented with a couple of other pages, changing their “page slug” to numerals. Here’s what happened:

http://www.scarletwords.com/elizabeth/harry/
This URL performs well.

http://www.scarletwords.com/elizabeth/123/
Changing the previous page slug from “harry” to “123″ confused it into displaying /elizabeth

As far as bugs go, it could be more serious. However, I’m in a situation where /1001 happens to be the most linked-to URL on my website, and changing it would be fairly damaging as far as traffic is concerned.

Workarounds include setting up redirects and updating all my internal links (which is a big job, as I link to it often in posts), but I imagine that this is beyond the scope of some of the more popular blogs. I’ve decided to live with the 404 error for the next day or so while I try to investigate a real solution.

It should be noted that URLs with number and letter combinations work fine, such as my 100facts page.

Has anyone else come across this bug? Heard of any solutions? I’ll update this post later with any information I find.

• Blogging , Website news
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Elizabeth February 9th, 2008

I am pulling my hair out trying to find a plugin that will let me have threaded comments here. Some of them appear to do half the job, but I’m yet to find the solution to my problem.

So far I’ve tried Brian’s Threaded Comments and AJAXed WordPress. I had some success with the latter, but it stripped away all my styling and I had more trouble modifying the template than I usually do.

(Besides, both of these plugins actually do nested comments rather than threaded… although I’d settle for either right now.)

I am beyond frustrated at this point. Are you using something simple and brilliant at your blog? Tell me how!

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