Conversations with Calliope- Back to Writing

(Western New York Sunrise)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. Did you just get up?
JOE: Don't be cute. I was up at 6:30 and planned to make a few minor corrections to my websites before contacting you.
CALLIOPE: So what happened?
JOE: I screwed up more than I fixed and it took a while to get back to where I was.
CALLIOPE: Is everything okay now?
JOE: As far as I can tell. Take a look at my websites at www.commonsense wisdom.com and www.slidingotter.com and let me know what you think.
CALLIOPE: I'll do that. Maybe some of our readers will too.
JOE: I'd welcome that.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: I have some more to do with my websites but I am weary of the process now.
CALLIOPE: Do you have some other pursuits in mind.
JOE: Yes. I will take some time to work on my writing. I plan to ready for publication our book based on this blog.
CALLIOPE: I can't wait to see it.
JOE: Neither can I. Talk with you on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Success at Last

(Shoes at a Street Fair)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's this about success?
JOE: I am finally mastering Dreamweaver and getting it to do what I want with my web pages.
CALLIOPE: How did that come about?
JOE: I realized I was getting nowhere with trial and error or at least not where I wanted to be.
CALLIOPE: So what led you out of the labyrinth?
JOE: Going back to basics.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: Yesterday I took my son for his second cataract surgery. I had some time to use productively while he was in the hospital and wandered over to the library.
CALLIOPE: And what did you discover?
JOE: Among other things, Elizabeth Castro's book HTML, XHTML &CSS.
CALLIOPE: How helpful was it?
JOE: Extremely. I'm finally beginning to make sense of this whole process. I finally developed a template I liked and am revising my websites yet again.
CALLIOPE: Good luck.
JOE: I think I'm on the right track. Talk with you tomorrow

Conversations with Calliope- Saturday Musings

(Storm Clouds)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. A lazy day today?
JOE: Not exactly. I knew the rain was coming so we went for a walk to the Leroy Farmers' Market while we could.
CALLIOPE: Find anything good?
JOE: Some fresh veggies to munch on while we wait for ours to ripen.
CALLIOPE: What's going on in web development world?
JOE: I feel like a Ping Pong ball sometimes.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I was just getting ready to choose Joomla as my preferred way to develop a website when I discovered that it does not yet have the capability of uploading content.
CALLIOPE: What good is it then?
JOE: Web development practice I guess.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: There might be a way I can develop my site on a server connected to the internet. The jury's still out on that.
CALLIOPE: Where does that leave you?
JOE: I think it's time for a professional consultation to see what my options are and how best to proceed. In the mean time I think I will relax for a while this afternoon. Talk with you on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Dreamweaver Competence

(Canadaway Creek)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How's the caffeine hangover coming?
JOE: Better every day. Yesterday my brain felt a little fuzzy. Still I accomplished quite a bit despite my lack of caffeine and my body's resistance to being deprived.
CALLIOPE: Glad to hear you are surviving. What did you accomplish?
JOE: I revised my entire Commonsense Wisdom website. I think it's ready for release although I want to check over the format and links first.
CALLIOPE: Congratulations. Tell me about the site.
JOE: Originally it duplicated my Sliding Otter site. I struggled with how to make the two complementary.
CALLIOPE: How did it end up?
JOE: The Sliding Otter site lists my writings for sale and offers samples from all of them. The Commonsense Wisdom site serves as an archive for stories, articles and archives of past blogs and newsletters.
CALLIOPE: Sounds sensible.
JOE: I hope so.
CALLIOPE: Are both sites the way you want them?
JOE: Not quite. They are both still works in progress. I have some refinements in mind once I figure out how to do them.
CALLIOPE: I'll be watching anxiously.
JOE: So will I. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Meeting the Neighbors

(Meeting the Neighbors)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Relieved?
CALLIOPE: On what account?
JOE: My new website design is completed and apparently functioning normally although I will do some more testing yesterday.
CALLIOPE: Did you spend your whole day at it again?
JOE: Not entirely. Our neighbors suffered the loss of a family member. Carol baked some brownies and I took them over.
CALLIOPE: Did you know the neighbors?
JOE: Just a nodding acquaintance. I had never had a conversation with them.
CALLIOPE: And yesterday?
JOE: They invited me to sit with them on their veranda and we spent quite a bit of pleasant time together.
CALLIOPE: Was there a lesson there for you?
JOE: Yes. I realized that the whole point of working on my website was to communicate with people. I became lost in the technology for a while and lost sight of the purpose.
CALLIOPE: Good realization.
JOE: I think so. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Magical Mystery Tour

(Is that the sun?-Peter Langen)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: I feel like I just landed on my magic carpet after a Magical Mystery Tour.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: My adventure with Dreamweaver took me into twists and turns I never expected.
CALLIOPE: How did your website turn out?
JOE: Basic, but I'm pleased with the results.
CALLIOPE: Is it ready for publication?
JOE: I'm not quite sure. I haven't finished examining the code. I also need to test the links and take the site for a trial flight. Hopefully I won't find anything untoward but you never know with new adventures.
CALLIOPE: Was the project as difficult as you expected?
JOE: No. I knew I would be swimming in deep water. Yesterday I tackled navigation and hyperlinks which went much better than I thought they would.
CALLIOPE: I'm looking forward to seeing the final product.
JOE: So am I. But I want to make sure it is in proper form before posting it.
CALLIOPE: Does it have everything you wanted?
JOE: No, but the basics are there and I want to get the site up in basic form first. Then I'll work on refinements. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Getting My Geese in a Row

(Geese in a Row)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Making progress. Dreamweaver looked quite daunting at first but I think there is hope.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: I struggled to get it to do anything. Then my book arrived, bringing hope with it.
CALLIOPE: What book?
JOE: A lifesaver (or websaver) called Dreamweaver CS4: The Missing Manual by David McFarland.
CALLIOPE: How has it helped.
JOE: It explains in detail just what needs to be done at each step.
CALLIOPE: That's it?
JOE: No. It also provides a tutorial to walk the unenlightened one (Grasshopper if you will) through the steps of creating a fictitious site using the skills just discussed.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good approach.
JOE: It works for me. I still have quite a bit to learn but, having produced visible results, I now think I will make it.
CALLIOPE: Keep after those geese.
JOE: I will but they have a mind of their own. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Website Choices

(Martin House Portico)


JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Ready for another week?
JOE: Indeed. I started working yesterday learning the intricacies of Dreamweaver.
CALLIOPE: Have you thought about simpler approaches?
JOE: Several other writers mentioned the possibility of a hosted space under the umbrella of a general writers' site.
CALLIOPE: Have you considered that approach?
JOE: I think it would be a beginning if I knew nothing about websites and wanted a quick Internet presence.
CALLIOPE: You are beyond that?
JOE: Although my knowledge is rudimentary, I think I at least understand the basics and am prepared to continue with my own site.
CALLIOPE: Where will you start?
JOE: Reviewing the basics. I will reconsider the goals of my website, intended audience, what I would like my visitors to do.
CALLIOPE: And then?
JOE: I will design the structure, format and especially the content accordingly.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you have a plan.
JOE: I do, at least the outline of one. Now it's time to fill in the details. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Footprints in the Sand

(Footprints in the Sand)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I thought I might hear from you while you were on the high seas.
JOE: I thought you might too, but it turned out to be more complicated that I thought.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about your trip.
JOE: It was wonderful to get away from the cold for a while. We spent more time on various beaches than ever before and enjoyed the water and breezes.
CALLIOPE: Did you discover anything about yourself while you were gone?
JOE: My mind remained pretty fallow. I concentrated on enjoying the moment most of the time.
CALLIOPE: You planned to consider your future directions.
JOE: I did but only toward the end of the week.
CALLIOPE: What did you come up with.
JOE: After finishing Joan Chittister's book The Gift of Years I have decided to concentrate on two areas, what I know for sure and life mysteries.
CALLIOPE: How do you plan to do that?
JOE: I will use my Sliding Otter website for my books and other formal writings. I will convert my Commonsense Wisdom website to a place where I can explore both issues.
CALLIOPE: Sounds interesting.
JOE: I think so. I'll let you know how it turns out. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Triboro Bridge, Astoria, NY)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. I'm feeling back to normal.
CALLIOPE: What threw you off course?
JOE: Not getting any email the past few days and feeling out of touch with the cyberworld.
CALLIOPE: And that's corrected?
JOE: It is. I was working on a way to include an autoresponder on my website during the course of which my email was accidentally short circuited. All due to the omission of one hyphen. But now it's back in order and I have a ream of emails to wade through.
CALLIOPE: You sound overwhelmed.
JOE: Sometimes I am. I have signed up for quite a few notifications of articles related to my writing. It feels like overload at times.
CALLIOPE: What are you working on today?
JOE: Editing and marketing. I think I am finally getting to understand about keywords and ways they can be used to gain more traffic for my website. Maybe I'm a little dense, but it takes me a while to figure these things out.
CALLIOPE: Maybe they are just complicated. How about your writing.
JOE: I am continuing to read The Good Person Handbook and have been planning a review to share with you and post on Amazon.
CALLIOPE: Sounds interesting.
JOE: It's new venture for me. Hopefully it will be ready in the next few days. Talk with you tomorrow.