Crazy about cats

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I never used to be that wild about cats. Sure, I preferred them to dogs, but that’s not saying much.

I grew up with a Persian cat, Fluffy. She was like a stereotypical cat, sleepy and aloof. We got along, I suppose, but that was the extent of our relationship from beginning to end.

My feelings changed when my family adopted our current cat. Well, we didn’t adopt Bean so much as we just kept her once she showed up on our doorstep.

If I had to describe Bean in one word it would have to be affectionate. Right from day one, she craved attention. Laps are not empty long and belly rubs are an expectation when Bean’s around.

We got our third cat, Peanut, shortly after Bean. Peanut is a lot more timid than Bean, but just as affectionate. Boy, does she love to eat! If you’ve got anything that remotely resembled food, she is on you like white on rice.

Bean and Peanut are a hoot when they’re together. They’ll nap entwined around each other and eat from the same dish, but the way they tussle is what really cracks me up. It reminds me of when my sister and I used to fight when we were younger – a lot of bark (meow?), but very little bite.

I love cats because they seem to be so misjudged. Many people assume cats are arrogant and uncaring, and I’m guilty of that myself, but I know better now. You can’t judge the behavior of all cats on just one cat. Cats are loving, amusing and more complex than people give them credit for.

What I’d like to learn about web design

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I’d like to learn more about the design aspect of web design. I’m more interested in the visual, front-end than the nuts and bolts, back-end. What do people actually see when they visit a website?

Design is easier for me to wrap my brain around. It’s basically play time, yet not as easy at you may think. Colors matter. Fonts matter. Image placement matters (here’s looking at you, logo, in the upper left corner).

But more than that, you have to tailor your website design to your audience as well as your site’s purpose. The content you use on your page and the people who [you want to] read it matter, too. Different demographics react to the same color[s] in different ways. Your content can determine what font you use. And if visitors don’t like your site, they’re not going to stay.

Design is much more complex than novices can expect (not that I’m speaking from experience). It seems like there’s so much psychology behind it and I’d love to learn more!

What I like about web design

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I like the creativity involved in web design the most. I enjoy choosing colors and trying out different fonts. Websites can look however the designer and/or the client wants them to look.

HTML also fascinates me. Coding is not my favorite thing in the world, and I hope I never have to build a website from scratch again, but it blew my mind that every design element can be translated into lines of this gobbledygook we call code! When I explained that concept to my family, they looked at me like I was insane.

Learning and applying basic HTML principles makes the Internet and website building less intimidating. Both are more approachable because I have this, admittedly basic, knowledge about what goes on “behind-the-scenes” so to speak.

The Internet has become a basic necessity in the 21st century; there’s no reason to be afraid of it.