Server Migration Aftermath

So my web hosting company finally completed a server move that took way too long: just today I managed to get WordPress installed and configured properly, posted a couple of items I had recently composed, and knocked up a design that looks half decent. Woo hoo!

Not that I really need a personal website or blog, for the most part, since my FaceBook page (with Twitter status updates) has my day-to-day lifeblogging needs met. But, and this is a big but, I do need a place on the web for my personal portfolio, which is the main reason I keep this site going.

Lifelong Learning

In the first incarnation of this site, I used pMachine, then an up-and-comer that achieved some success then morphed into Expression Engine, I understand. I was never a fan of pMachine even though I used it for three or four years, and it wasn’t a technology we ever implemented for a customer, so I never dug into the guts very deep.

After pMachine, I gave Joomla a try as a blogging platform. We use Joomla (and Mambo before it) at my day job — Joomla is the CMS engine on top of which we build all of our client sites. I know Joomla pretty well. Well enough, in fact, to be deeply annoyed by how it works. So I was beyond ready to try a different CMS the next time I did a redesign.

Now, in this third version of the site, I’m going with WordPress. Although I was tempted to give something like Concrete5 or Silverstripe a try, I decided to stick with WordPress and see how I like it as a CMS.

So this site rebuild is as much about learning more about WordPress as anything.

In the life of…

When last I blogged, I was about to move to Los Angeles, CA, from Memphis, TN. The move was completed about three weeks ago. Los Angeles is extremely cool. The weather has been fantastic, sunny but cool nearly all the time. The weather is near-tropical — we have a flock of about 5 green parrots that feast on the loquat tree by our front door.

Choosing to live in Alhambra was a great choice — I’m in walking distance of just about anything I might need: grocery stores, restaurants, movie theaters, coffee shops, and more. (I do wish there was a good book store nearby. Getting to a Barnes and Noble is a short drive.)

Between unpacking and getting caught up with my day job, I’ve been pretty busy. But I have found time to visit Venice Beach, do some shopping in West Hollywood, and attend a book signing at Book Soup.

Still new to the LA area, my goal is to get involved with some of the design and interactive groups to get some networking going. So look out, Los Angeles, here I come.