Yesterday I started looking for a different theme for my new WordPress blog. Not that I hated the style of the last one. It was just too darn difficult to read. For me anyway. So I searched and searched and found Subtle by Glued Ideas. It looked quite nice and compatible with WordPress Widgets. Yes, Widgets. Little blocks of codes that can be dragged and dropped into the sidebars. No source code editing. Just drag and drop. How nice is that?
That was just the beginning…
I started playing with different configurations, different add-ons. WordPress is so flexible that I keep finding things to experiment with. Things to learn. In other words, I got drawn into the world of widgets and codes. And here I am, still tinkering. The best discovery so far was from within the theme options. I was asked if I wanted to configure FeedBurner. Hmmm… FeedBurner. Sounded familiar. So I followed the link and paid them a visit. Wow! What a great service. Basically they take your blog feed and make it readable by most blog/rss readers. Plus they give you the option to immediately pin many popular services when you update your blog. Services like Bloglines, Technorati and Ping-o-matic, so that you won’t have to wait for them to come looking for something new. This discovery came just when I started noticing that Bloglines was having problems reading my blog feed. Probably because of the modifications. With FeedBurner, now I can feel assured that the feed is in a standard format and updated frequently. Plus I was able to merge my Flickr feed into the blog feed, which means that people will know when I add new public photos. AND, FeedBurner makes it easy to subscribe to a feed. I have it configured in the sidebar. Take a look and click on the icon and see how easy it is for people to subscribe to your blog. I highly recommend FeedBurner’s services. I think everyone should try it.
No, I am not being paid by FeedBurner. 
On to something else…
My dear friend Mariko gave me a couple of bags of unginned cotton. Big bags. (Thanks Mariko!) I started playing with separating the fiber from the seeds. It is quite easy to do. Only a few stubborn ones here and there. I’ll probably all of it by hands and card it to make punis. Ah, the thought of that just makes me so relaxed. I hope that we’ll find a nice rental house with a nice backyard when we move norht, so I can sit in a comfy chair with a big basket of fiber to work with. 
Here’s a little fella that I’ve noticed hanging around in the neighborhood since last year. I think it’s home is not far from here. I like to whistle when I see it, and it always seems to be very curious and listens intently.
I think your new blog is looking very good! I will go ahead and have a look at feed burner. Though I tend to check on blogs I like periodically, things get lost durring the holidays. Everyone gets so busy. It’s nice to know that my brother isn’t the only one with multipal computers/laptops at home. he works in Silicon Valley and has a work-laptop too! I hope you and your partner can find a nice place up here. I am orignally from San Francisco and now live in a suburb and I love the Bay Area. Also, I’m very impressed with seeing the cotton. I’ve never actually spun cotton and it looks interesting! Happy Holidays!
From Jason: Thanks Jane! I think I have to stop the “tinkering” so I can concentrate on other things. Things like… CLEANING.
I am excited about moving. Fear is setting in too, but only a little. Packing will be the worst part that’s for sure. I hope to meet you someday when I get up there. Would you like me to save you some cotton seeds? 
Happy Holidays!
P.S. Try Flocker Browser for blogging and blog reading. Very cool.