As I think a lot of you know, MM.com has been hosted these past several years in the city of Hamtramck by Steve and Hillary Cherry, the publishers of the Hamtramck Star. The idea was always that I’d eventually move out and get a place of my own. Unfortunately for the Cherrys, however, I lack initiative. For the past five years, I’ve been like a very comfortable 40 year old man living in his parents’ basement. I knew I had to get out if I were ever going to salvage my self-respect, but I just couldn’t seem to muster up enough energy to do anything about it. Then, Drew Barrymore came to town. And the more I wrote about her, the more the traffic swelled. The Cherry’s system, that had stood up so admirably under the deluge of people searching for information on “ball shaving,” just couldn’t take the constant barrage. The system blew up. It was like I’d had a big party when my parents were out of town, and totally wrecked their house. I knew it was time to go.
As is the way with people like me, who have very little in the way of actual skill, though, I lacked the ability to do anything about this newly found determination. Fortunately, Steve was willing to help. I hate mixing metaphors, but imagine Steve as the girlfriend of a pathetic loser, who, unable to watch him put out on the street to die alone, begins working behind the scenes to find him someone new. That’s what Steve did.
Anyway, now it’s done… Or at least the process has been started. I’m no longer on the Cherry server. Steve helped me get a place of my own, at the Laughing Squid, and now he’s helping me get setup on WordPress so that I can keep things going. I know that the transition won’t be smooth, as I work to figure out a whole new system, but I’m optimistic. As much as I fight change, I realize that it’s occasionally good, and I owe Steve and Hillary a great deal for helping me through these past several years.
In addition to Steve and Hillary, I’d also like to thank Linette, who took the opportunity of the move to clean things up design-wise. The site still isn’t done, as I need to rebuild the links, and stuff like that, but we should be pretty close. I haven’t checked yet, but I think that all seven years of posts, and all the associated images, are now here on the new site. I believe all the comments are here now too. If you notice anything out of whack, let me know and I’ll look into it… Or, more accurately, I’ll send Steve a note and ask him what in the hell to do. I figure I should have a week or two before he and Hillary change their number.
Thanks again to everyone for their help. I know I don’t say it nearly enough, but I really do appreciate it.
And, yeah, I’ve started using capital letters in the headlines, just like someone would on a real website.
28 Comments
Aren’t you actually 41?
I miss the “For all your Mark Maynard Needs” tag.
The robots that came to your Drew Barrymore parties were so annoying that Steve built a second, larger house on our property. We moved into the mansion several months ago, and you’ve been squatting in the guest house. (Your former digs are about to be bulldozed to make way for the tower and moat.)
I wonder if it will be as easy for people to post under multiple fake names now that we’ve got the new system. I’d hate to see some of favorite people just disappear all of a sudden….
And I always knew that you and Steve had aristocratic aspirations, Hillary.
It’s about time. Looks good except your banner is a little bit tall. That’ll take up half the screen on a laptop.
Also, can you up the character limit on user names? I can’t be an extending taint. Just a taint.
Mark, look into making links in the new admin. It looks like you’re maybe writing the html links by hand and then it’s converting the characters.
John, if you mouse over the header image your slogan will be right there.
Taint, no idea on character limits on user names, it’s probably not going to get a heap of attention.
Oh, and there’s 29 more archives files to import, so we’re not even close to your entire archives.
To John on Forest: Yes, I felt the same way until I noticed the mouseover text. :) The best blog comment EVER was when Mark was considering throwing in the towel and suggested we all go elsewhere for whatever we get out of this site, and someone replied, “Go somewhere else for all our mark maynard needs?”
Hope y’all had a chance to get out & feel the sun and the above-freezingness today.
Site looks sweet, man. I use wordpress for several blogs and I love it. And hosting is free, right?
For making links, highlight the word you want and then click on the icon that looks like a chain. Then paste in your reference, hit insert and yr good to go.
Also, if you click on the banner at the top a new window pops up. Somewhere in admin you can fix that.
Now it’s not doing that. Ne’er mind.
Sexy.
Ignore this. It’s a test. Seriously, I posted five comments to the “25 things” thread. The last comment I can now see combined elements of three separate comments.
While I’m figuring this new stuff out, I want to see if I can still do links.
P.S. I mess the perview butt on. Get redie for even moore type Os form OCE.
If this post appears, it isn’t Cousin Geoff. It’s Ol’ E Cross testing the fancy new site. (Sorry Cous.)
I think it might be holding your comments for a while pending my approval. I’ll check it out… I’m still trying to figure this new system out too…
Yup, those first comments of yours were held for “moderation.” I had to approve them. I’m not sure why some are led for moderation and some aren’t. I thought that maybe everyone’s first comment was held for moderation, and, after that, they could just post however they liked. Maybe that’s not the case… I’ll look into it today.
And I plan to change the color scheme for the comments. So enjoy the white on robin’s egg blue while you can.
Along with the new look for the blog, did you build in some sort of artificial intelligence. It must sense OEC’s intentions.
After the initial lag time in my first comments, everything started working just fine.
Robert, I realized I could get by Mark’s AI filter on my comments by typing a bit slower as if I was actually thinking about what I was saying.
And, congrats to the Cherrys for finally passing their tapeworm.
Congratulations on moving out of the house, Mark!
I’m only sad that I no longer see that cool “[Member]” notation next to my moniker when I comment. It’s good to be a “[Member]” and I hope to be one again some day.
It brings to mind something that Obama said about lipstick on a pig.
Paw, you’re so sweet. I love you too!
I think it looks great!
i am changing over to wordpress right now too. spooky stuff. i know i am going to break everything.
Mark, I’m digging the new site. Fast, furious and purty.
Gotta say, though, I’m not a fan of the color scheme of the comments section. There’s not enough contrast between background and text. Also, dark (black) text on a light background is preferable to relieve eye strain (which is important when I’m straining to figure out what conspiracies lie in Robert’s posts). But I do dig the fact that your personal comments are a different color. Nice touch.
More change, eh?
Posts are easier to read, but everybody sounds less… pastel.
I like the part where “Recent Comments” doesn’t sit, spinning, while saying “fetching comments”. They are frequently just not that fetching.
The light blue is too tranquil IMHO. What we need is bubbling lava as a background, or fire. We need to inflame passions and force out the worst in people. As it is, I just want to say hello to everyone and nap.
There has been a marked decline in arguments lately.
Maybe we should drop robin egg blue paint bombs on Iraq, scented with that old perfume that only our grandmas wear.