I believe the key to Typography reflects upon the interest and creativity of a web page. The fonts must grab the reader and encourage them to remain enthusiastic about the website for days, months, or even years to come. One of the websites I visit alot, Realtor.com at http://www.realtor.com/ expresses clear, consistent fonts which are simple to follow and quaintly colored. The letter flow is basic expressing the simplicity of navigating throughout such a complex site involving real estate. Although the lettering in some layouts is pretty small, it is just small enough to be readable and to allow additional information to be entered, leaving no loose ends.

As I was admiring horse pics, I had come across Best Horse Photos.com at http://www.best-horse-photos.com/index.html with a puzzling font. According to the theme of the site, I didn’t feel that the font matched the site’s intentions. The script is incredibly bold and rather loud, perhaps appropriate for a gaming site. The informative paragraphs produced a congested layout that appeared rushed and drew me away from the content. I feel the author of this site could have been a little more creative regarding the site’s construction, at least linking the text to the artistic view of horse pictures. I’m not talking about Palace Script or anything fancy shmancy, perhaps a nice Lucinda Calligraphy font may have been acceptable.

Imagine we are sitting in our favorite restaurant, perhaps Denny’s. We’ve ordered the Big Ben Burger with extra cheese and mondo fries. After a reasonable wait, we receive a small whithered burger, a dollop of cheese, and a handful of fries. Well, that is the type of service Dish Network offers Alaskans. They guarantee a large package of great channels for a reasonable price, yet they gradually flake out on their promises by switching satellites and ripping us off out of our package. After being perfectly happy with the AM120 package, I am currently stuck with only 60 channels and still paying the 120 price. You see, Dish Network had decided to switch a number of channels to the satellite 110. This slight switch had robbed us from some of our desired channels. Dish Network’s suggested solution, pay $800.00 for a new 4 foot dish including installation (this, of course, had been tacked on from the previous $500.00 paid upon the original installation) in order to receive the promised 120 channels. My husband and I purchased a 4 foot dish package from Radio Shack for $450.00 and we attempted to install it ourselves. Our effort to locate the proper signal had been attempted repeatedly to no avail. After listening for 2 days to a headache-inducing beep from the signal screen to our television set, we finally gave up. I took it upon myself to speak to Dish Network’s customer service representatives and hopefully receive some support for this atrocious expense. I had requested for Dish Network to send an Installation Tech to our home and simply locate the signal for us at no extra charge. I received a flat NO from the customer service rep, a NO from the office manager, and a final NO from the office executive. The repeated, “We do not have a central office in Alaska, therefore the equipment and installation is your responsibility” prodded my brain into simple insanity. When I asked them why they had service in Alaska if they are unable to support it, I received no logical response. During further research, I contacted Direct TV to find out their policies and specials in Alaska. Direct TV had no limitations, they offered slightly higher prices to their packages, yet they did not charge for their equipment or installation. If I were to hop aboard a time machine and chose over again between Dish Network and Direct TV, it would be Direct TV for certain. Their customer service was excellent and their willingness to cover our equipment and installation was highly acceptable. Customer service is a must regarding good business, like the famous saying entails, “The customer is ALWAYS right.”

I awoke this morning with a throbbing hangover-induced headache.  I shuffled quietly to my bedroom window, drew apart my curtains, and focused upon a dismal reality, snow.  As an Alaskan, I have developed a sickness known as Gripey Pessimism, a disease every well-known Alaskan suffers from.  During the bright and glorious summers, it is much too hot and there are too many bugs.  The summer encourages vast road construction apparently bringing life to a halt. The sun blares down incessantly for 24 hours a day, robbing Alaskans of their sleep.  The fall weather is entirely cold and depressing with not enough bugs.  Spring remains unpredictable and disgustingly sloppy, again, with too many bugs.  Then, there is bloody winter, far too cold, far too dark, far too depressing, and absolutely no bugs.   When the winter months bring loads of snow, it is far too difficult to drive.  When some winters don’t bring enough snow, our houses are in lack of natural insulation.  When the whopping -40 weather rolls in, it is MUCH too cold.  If the winter has been mild and warm, it is far too icey.  We are never satisfied not matter what the weather brings us.  What’s that, is there a cure for Gripey Pessimism?  Why, yes, there is.  Just stop the whining!  Be happy and live with what the seasons bring!  Trust me, it could be WORSE.

Have you ever encountered a website that tried to sabotage you? You know what I mean, the one that makes you want to toss your $2,000 machine out the window? Well hold on to your seats folks, the worlds WORST website just happens to be UAF’s Blackboard Learning System. I have struggled with this disgusting site for almost four years, yet I am forced (with a gun to my head) to deal with it until my student years are over. The unfortunate events of Blackboard lie completely beneath it’s support center; I do apologize to those who work for them, I mean no offense . My Blackboard sessions have not been updated for three years and I do enjoy encountering my old classes every time I open up my course list, YAHOO! If there are quizzes posted on Blackboard, the Auto Correct method is just not accurate. I can’t count on my fingers how many times I’ve had to contact my professors in order to re-correct my work. I did enjoy the prompt regarding a new password each year, yet it would have been nice if I could actually use my new password! Yes, Blackboard is a nightmare and yes, it does make me want to smash my PC in. I am destined to be held hostage under the wrath of this website until the bitter end of my student career. Thanks Blackboard!

It began a rather hectic day that involved a nasty doctor’s appointment for my 12 year old son Pedro. After a horrific blood draw, we were happy to escape the clinic darkness and explore the sunny day outside. I had a few errands to run for my mother, so we headed to the mall to buy her a bottle of vitamins at GNC. My son had developed a slight headache and I gave him some Tylenol to ease the tension. When we entered the mall, I directed him to the water fountains located in the entry way to the hall where the bathrooms were. As Pedro was taking his drink, swift and thunderous thumps grew louder and louder. I looked up to see a boy, perhaps 15 or 16, running rapidly towards the hallway where Pedro drank. The boy’s face was maroon in color and his hands were cupped tightly over his mouth. I knew at once what this meant and Pedro was in serious trouble. I watched in agony as the boy drew closer and closer to Pedro, every horrific thought ran swiftly through my mind. Pedro looked up at the boy and watched him pass him by, proceeding down the hallway in desperation. Then, we heard it, SPLAT. In disgust, I grabbed Pedro, avoiding the heaving nightmare in the hallway. Pedro grunted and yelled, “Oh SICK! There was red all over the walls!” We were quite grossed out by the events of that 30 second moment, yet one thankful thought spoke to us; at least he didn’t get Pedro.

I pondered in thought regarding my Jack Russell Terrier, Bandit, this morning. Sticking out of a sea of questions like a sore thumb, I fixated on one, why is this dog so crazy? I recalled a lovely day when I was riding horses with my son. I had attached Bandit to a little harness and a nice long lead rope to bring him along for the trip. Being a rambunctious rascal, it was necessary for me to keep him under control. The ride was enjoyable, yet one question sent a tinge of worry that fluttered through the pit of my stomach. What if we see another dog? If we crossed paths with another dog whether it be a Rottweiler, Husky, or Werewolf, our tiny 15 lb Bandit would insanely pursue it. The duration of the ride had been a relaxing one, the sun beating down on our backs, a slight blowing breeze caressing our faces….until. An over-sized Husky came leaping through the darkness of the tree-lined road side. My tiny Russell flipped around and hurdled aggressively toward the large beast. I turned my horse quickly in attempt to flee from the confrontation, dragging and tugging Bandit in panic. Bandit continued to avoid my aids, pulling and biting against the hold of his little harness. The Husky made a violent dive toward my little loco dog. Bandit was more than ready for the attack, yet while he was in mid-bark I pulled Bandit quickly up on my horse’s back by his rope and harness. The hoist has accompanied by a shrill scream resembling the shriek of monkeys trapped in a barrel of ice water. The Husky retreated quickly, perhaps realizing that my horse would have been more than happy to stomp on him. I held my small dog in my arms never forgetting the look of surprise on his face. My son and I both laughed with relief. Escorted by Bandit on my horse’s back, we headed home.

When I recall this story, I can’t help but to admire the integrity and grit of our little dog. These small breeds carry a bundle of wit in their tiny bodies, a hidden confidence that they could take on something so large and scary. Life could be a tremendous thing in itself, and we, petite and courageous, must pursue it. We have to be ready to leap out at the large, scary changes we will face and God will be prepared to pull us up on his lap when things get difficult.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this site in particular has been mentioned several times. My favorite site would be, of course, myspace.com. Myspace is a wonderful way to connect with forgotten friends and folks from far away. Myspace has several available options such as a blogger, a picture album, links to personalize your page, e-mail, and so much more. I have reunited with several friends that I had back in the day. The design of Myspace is very simple and quite quick to follow.  I highly recommend myspace, it can be a great experience.

Hi, I’m LaRene and I’m super cool! I like to ride horses and hang out with my boy. My son’s name is Pedro and he is in 7th grade. He’s a super cool kid too.

I’m oblivious about what else to say so I would like to share a joke with you all.

The pastor entered his donkey in a race and it won.
The pastor was so pleased with the donkey that he entered him in another
race and he won again.
The local paper read:
PASTOR’S ASS OUT FRONT.
The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the
pastor not to enter the donkey in any more races.
The next day the local paper headline read:
BISHOP SCRATCHES THE PASTOR’S ASS.
This was too much for the Bishop, so he ordered the pastor to get rid of the donkey.
The pastor decided to give it to a nun in a nearby convent.
The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline:
NUN HAS THE BEST ASS IN TOWN.
The Bishop fainted. He informed the nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey so she sold it to a farmer for $10.
The next day the headlines read:
NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10.
This was too much for the Bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the
donkey and lead it to
the high plains where it could run free.
The next day the headlines read:
NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE.
Alas .. the Bishop was buried the next day.
MORAL OF THE STORY???
Being concerned about public opinion can bring you
much grief and misery and even shorten your life.
So, be yourself and enjoy life.
Stop worrying about everyone else’s ass and you’ll live longer.