I forgot to mention that starting yesterday my site will encompass more than just web and graphic design. I’m adding photography, artwork, and any other creative interest that I have. I want this site to reflect more of me and eventually I’ll be going away from the current domain name and only using ravenmccandies.com. Stay tuned.

I’m in the market for a dSLR camera and the choice is narrowed down to two of Canon’s models. The 50D and the Rebel T1i. I have a point-and-shoot SD1100IS and it’s a great little camera. But, and there’s a big but for me, it’s not fast enough to catch sudden movements. It also doesn’t take the really crisp photos that I want. So, I know it’s time to move up a level to a “prosumer” camera. I thought, and read, and thought and figured out what camera I wanted. Then I read some more and got confused all over again. I have it settled now. After seeing the pictures that the Rebel line can take, I am sold. The Rebel T1i will the step up I need without being too bulky or too expensive. I woulld really like a 50D but you have to crawl before you can walk. I don’t have the extra time right now to take an inperson photography class so I’m learning on my own. So, while I’m solo learning I want to get a good foundation before I spend a lot more money on a camera in the 50D range. (The 5D range is WAY out of my league.) Now, it’s just a matter of putting in the order and getting my camera, lens and UV filters.

Finally upgraded WP to the latest version. After reading about older versions being hacked I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. The basic upgrade didn’t take long. I just had to fix a few plug-in issues. I do like this new admin interface and it’ll be easier to find the tools I need to update post and pages.

So, I’ve decided that I’m going to give Twitter a shot (@ravenmccandies). I ran across two articles yesterday ( A Minimalist’s Guide to Using Twitter Simply, Productively, and Funly, Six Ways You Should Be Using Twitter (that Don’t Involve Breakfast)) that got me thinking. This could be a good way to network with my peers and announce new project features. My initial schedule will probably be an average of once or twice a week. OOOOO this means that I get to design a Twitter background!!!! I didn’t even think about that. Ok, I’m elated right now. LOL

I’m still working on this redesign. Designing/Redesigning something for yourself is SO much harder than working for someone else. I have some sketches and functional specs written in my sketch book. I’ve been writing things down for months but I just haven’t been able to make my ideas more tangible. Some of it’s lack of time needed for my own project, some of it’s because I’m a perfectionist and can be very hard on myself. Then there’s a sprinkling of not giving myself a timeline and sticking to it. I was going through my Google Reader account and I noticed an article called Redesigning Your Own Site by Lea Alcantara. I put it into my shared folder in the beginning of August. I don’t remember reading it before, but boy does it hit close to home. I’ve followed Lea over at Lealea Design for a few years and I really like her tidbits, especially her write up on Self-Branding. Her article made me realize that when it comes to personal projects I have to STICK to using the same procedure that I’d use for freelance or even projects at my full-time job. Sometimes I would do it and sometimes I’d think “oh it’s just for me. I can wing this.” NOT! *giggle* So, this weekend I promise to myself that I’ll start putting these wireframes into Fireworks and start fleshing out some design possibilities. I may even post images while in progress. This is going to be fun.