What JC Did Next – Part 8

December 2019

Time is moving on and the many questions are coming thick and fast for the kind man on Twitter who says he’s going to help build my site. For every question he asks, I ask three back before I can understand what he’s asking. If you’re thinking well how are you sat there able to write your blogs? The answer is I don’t now. Minimal comprehension needed?!

At one point I looked at my blog and it was all over the place. The ”Leave a Comment Box’ was appearing at the top of the blog, the block building options had changed (only I didn’t know at the time that’s what they were called), the blogs were all over the place, out of sequence & I panicked because the one and only thing I understood was how to add text, an image, or HTML and that option was missing. Trying to communicate with him probably didn’t quite translate the way I’d hoped.

I’ve checked my emails since and I didn’t lose it, or swear (even though in real life I was having a wee meltdown) but I think by now he might’ve got a bit fed up of me. Genuinely can’t blame him. The theme was changed back to the original (I think) and it went quiet. Okay, its December, busy time of year for everyone and sure he’s got much more important things to do. But nothing. The questions had stopped. And as I don’t have a clue what I’m doing, I don’t know what he’s done/is doing. I got anxious about looking, especially as I’d written a fair bit and rather a lot of people seemed to be reading it.

And here’s where my luck *really* improved!

I had a new follower on Twitter called Penfold (@p3nf0ld). Checked his bio and oh he lives in the same city. How funny, I thought, I knew a Penfold in my clubbing days, 20 odd years ago.

I tweeted “did you used to go to Lakota?!”
“Maybe”. And then I forgot to continue the conversation until a few days later and got him in his DMs and it WAS him! Don’t remember a lot from those days, but do remember we had mutual friends and partied together and I do remember him bringing his decks around mine for an after party. Weird eh? Good weird.

Christmas comes and goes and I still haven’t heard anything from my (probably) weary man who was helping. No questions, nothing. Sent an email. Nothing.

Its okay, I totally get it, I wear myself out multiple times a day. That’s my life now and there’s not a lot I can do about it. Not like damaged brains get better is it. Although someone did tweet me the other day they thought my brain must be getting better because I’d remembered something (can’t remember what!) and…yeah. Can’t think of the words but really? I know it was meant in the right spirit but …please don’t.

In the meantime Pen said he’d be happy to show me what to do with website, its his job. Brilliant. He has his own website. He’s a super duper intelligent Microsoft guy. And the best bit, he lives a 10 minute drive away.

The first time I went round his house he said: “95% of people who help you, want something in return. Whether its material or emotional or whatever it is, people always want something in return. I’m doing this because I don’t want you to be ripped off!”. (RESULT. I’m paying him in my currency of cake but really its an excuse for me to make them.)

If you ever need anything I am and always will be that 5% ok?!

Can’t remember what he taught me first time but it took an hour and I had homework to do by next lesson – change header photo and add photos to previous blogs. What a difference it makes sitting next to someone so I can see what they’re doing, to guide me through it.

The second time I went round he hit a few buttons and changed my theme/layout. Took seconds. Minutes. How was it going to take someone else 15-18 hours? How come Pen didn’t need a backup of my site first and the other bloke did? Guess I’ll never know. All I know is my site is exactly how I like it and I’m chuffed to bits.

I’m so grateful to my website benefactor (weirdly also has “pen” in his name, not even joking!) and to Pen(fold) for letting me sit next to him because everything became a helluva lot clearer. I now understand the words. I know what editing blocks means and oh my days when he clicked on Users I’ve actually got people subscribed to this blog!! I don’t know if they’re real people but whatever! Happy days!

And this is as far as I’ve got. More lessons to come, but I do my hair toss, check my nails, baby how you feeling? Feeling good as hell! (copyright Lizzo).

And that’s it, we’re up to date I think.

For the first time in years I’m excited about the year ahead. Will more people subscribe to my blog, hit the odd advert & link? Hope so! Need millions of hits apparently but I’m over the moon with the thousands right now. All I need to do is find the content. Happy new year to you! Thanks for reading 🙂