May the new year bring you contentment,
and the old take with it your woe.
May joy be your constant companion,
and follow where ever you go.

Greetings - 2009 by ~genlisae on deviantART

My daughter saw her first snowflake tonight; she will be eight years old in 3 months.

Now it’s not that it doesn’t usually snow here, far from it, it snows every winter. It has been snowing for the last several weeks off and on. We currently have over 2 feet of snow with another 8-14 inches expected tonight and tomorrow. My daughter has been out playing in this snow since it started.

Yesterday, I sent her out to `go play in the fractals`.

`Mom` she said, `you are a dork, snow isn`t fractals!` That was when I realized that out of all the time she has spent playing in the snow, she has never actually seen a snowflake. continued

Welcome to genlisae.com! Check the default title. Sweet isn’t it?

First things first: Blog features.

Blog Features:

1. If you look to the upper right corner of the post area (the part where this text is written) to the right of the title, you will find two little clicky icons. The first looks like a diamond. That is the “Expand Toggle“. (I actually have no idea what it is called so we will call it the ‘Expand Toggle‘. It sounds sufficiently nerdy like I know what I am talking about.) If you Click the Expand Toggle (go on, click it) you will notice that the side bars disappear and the post expands to fill the entire blog frame. Pretty neat huh? Now click the Expand Toggle again (it now looks like two arrows pointing at each other) so you can see the side bars. There is important stuff in the side bars (like the ads, but I am NOT hinting …). The Expand Toggle is useful for when I really get rambling and the post is long, saves you some scrolling.
2. Beside the Expand Toggle is another little clicky icon. This one we will call the ‘Show/Hide Toggle“. You can go ahead and click it now, BUT, be sure to click it back so you can continue reading this incredibly detailed, fascinating post. The Show/Hide Toggle is helpful for pages that display multiple posts where you only want to read one of them (You wouldn’t do that to me now would you? Not read every single word I have written? No, I didn’t think so.)
3. Next I would like to draw your attention to the Left Side Bar where currently you will find a list of links to other blogs I follow (Blog Roll)
4. The next feature in the Left Side Bar is a set of nifty little options that let you automatically keep up to date with the happenings here: Subscription Options.
5. Up next, the blog Archives for genlisae.com where you will find all posts on this blog organized by month
6. Followed by the blog Categories drop down where you will find all blog posts organized by over all categories (You will find them at the top of this and every future post. Pretty empty now but soon that drop down will be dropping a long way, just wait ’til I get talking).
7. And finally in the Left Side Bar, the Tag Cloud. You can find tags at the bottom of this and all future posts on this blog. Tags are just one more way of organizing content, much like Categories, only more specific so that you can find exactly what you want to read about.
8. Now to the Right Side Bar. The Right Side Bar is a little different from the Left Side Bar. It has a Calendar where you can click on a date in the current month and see the posts I have made for that day (days that have already happened please. It does not predict the future. Would be really neat if it did though!)
9. Next is a second set of ads. I think it is pertinent to mention that if you click those ads you help keep this site and all subsites running, being that this is the post about the blog features and that is a feature of this blog. It is also pertinent to add that you are in no way expected to click them! If you want to, great, if not, no big deal. Simply a feature and a not terribly intrusive option for you should you be interested.
10. The ads section is followed by Recent Posts, where you will find a quick list of the last few posts I have made to this blog so you can catch up when you haven’t read for a few days (not that anyone reading this would do that I am sure).
11. Next in the Right Side Bar we have the Meta Area. I am not sure who this would be useful to besides me, unless you just love my blog so much you want one just like it, in which case you can get the software from Wordpress and the theme was developed by onehertz and is in my opinion the most kick ass theme available for download for the Wordpress platform. Linkage to both is in the Meta area.
12. Finally on the Right Side Bar we have a link to A Small Orange my super awesome, totally kick ass web host. Seriously, these guys rock. If you are looking for quality web hosting head on over. Tell them genlisae sent you (enter ‘genlisae’ in the coupon area at ordering) and get $5 off.
13. Moving on to the top of the page and the Header Area. Besides a fractal created by me, you will find links to all the highly informative pages I will be attaching to this blog. Currently there is the link to bring you right back to where you started on this blog (Home) and an About page where you can see a picture of yours truly and learn a little more about me (unless of course you live with me and then you will probably have lots you think I should add to the list. All opinions about how much of a complete geek I am kept in the household please.)

And that is about that for the moment. More features will be added and of course lots more posts. For now, kick back, relax and have a look around.

I have always been an artist at heart. Somewhere along the way the idea that artistic endeavours were a waste of time and “not what grown-ups do” got embedded in my brain and that is the place I have been working from ever since. That place no longer feels comfortable to me. Actually, it never did.

I am taking a new direction, and this website will be taking a new path with me.

Thank you to all who read and commented previously. Your words have been safely stored for an archive to come in the future. I hope you will join me in this new direction. Your support is, as always, very much appreciated.

Here’s to new beginnings, taking chances and most importantly, believing in yourself. Because if you can’t believe in yourself, you can’t believe in anything.