A Cry for Help UPDATE (with Fix)

Take a look at my header.  You know, up there at the top of the page.... See how it's all blurry?  (Of course you do.)  I can't figure out why, so I'm asking for some help.

I use Picasa to design my headers.  I create a collage in Picasa then use the Export button to save it in My Pictures files on my computer.  I usually resize the image to either 1024 or 800 pixels and then use that image for the header.  The image is clear when I veiw it in Picasa and from the My Picutres file. I have had no problems with blurriness in the past but I can't get it clear this time. 

Here's what I've tried to fix the problem:
- Redone the header using different images (still blurry)
- Used Microsoft Image Composer to redesign the header (still blurry)
- I tried leaving the image it's original size (it was HUGE and still blurry)

Other Stuff:
-The photo I used came directly from the photographer's disc
-I posted these same pictures on Facebook and they were crystal clear
- All of the other pictures on the blog are clear (in the posts, on the sidebar, etc)

I think that the problem must be with Blogger somehow, but I don't know the remedy so, I am asking (begging?) for help.  Any suggestions?  Please (please, please) leave them in the comments.

UPDATE: I fixed it!  In case anyone else is having this issue, I uploaded the image using the URL from the image in my Picasa Web Album instead of uploading it from my computer and now it clear as can be!  Yipee!

Awkward

You know those awkward few minutes that pass when you see someone that you haven't seen in a long time?  When you've gotten past the how've-you-beens and the your-kids-have-gotten-so-bigs, there often follows an uncomfortable (though usually short) period of time in which you and your long-ago friend get acclimatized to one another again. 

I hate that adjustment period.  Remembering how seamlessly conversation came once upon a time and comparing that to the halting, unsure exchanges of the present can be painful. Therefore, I have made an executive decision:

Here at Ruggamuffin, there will be no awkward adjustment periods allowed.

Let's all pretend that my blogging has been as constant as my laundry.  In order to avoid the reality that I have no idea where my camera actually is, we'll imagine that my camera has been busy capturing and downloading the memories of the last few months.  We will carefully avoid acknowledging that all of the time that I spend online these days is being allotted to that other site (you know, the one that starts with a "P" and ends with an "interest").

Instead of focusing on those things that might highlight our recent separation, let me tell you about a moment of enlightenment I experienced yesterday.

I had an appointment in the morning to get my haircut, nothing serious just a little refresher.  I hurried my morning routine along but didn't skip any of the familiar steps .  Ladies, you know how it is, you cannot go to get your hair cut looking like a shmuck.  Even though you know that any time you spend doing your hair is time wasted, you do it anyway.  So, off I went to my hair appointment with my makeup placed with precision and my hair carefully coiffed. Since I was paying the skilled Suzanne a visit anyway, I decided to have her shape my eyebrows while I was at it.

Skillful Suzanne got straight to work on my curly hair.  She is a master, she uses techniques specific to curly hair.  Suzanne finished her magic on my hair then started on my eyebrows.

As she carefully wiped the makeup from my eyelids I blinked at the exact wrong moment.  Just as my eye opened, a warm drop of cleanser slid into my left eye, burning as I spastically tried to blink it out again.  (Did I mention this was my first experience with waxing?)  Suzanne carefully pulled the skin above my eye taut.  With a quick yank, the burning in my eye was eclipsed by the searing heat where my rouge eyebrow hairs had just been exiled. 

I drove home after my beautifying was complete and caught a glimpse of myself in my rear veiw mirror.  The reflection of my bloodshot left eye involuntarily squinted back at me, tears still leaked from the corner of my eye smearing black mascara onto my cheek bone, my wet hair was drying in uneven patches and the tender pink skin under both my eyebrows was swollen.  I chuckled to myself remembering the time that I spent earlier scrunching my curls purposefully, applying eyeshadow with precision and carefully coaxing as much length and volume as possible out of my mascara wand and onto my eyelashes. 

Perhaps the great artist Renoir was actually speaking of the lengths that women will go to for beauty when he said, “The pain passes, but the beauty remains.”(for six to eight weeks, then we'll start the "Beauty/ Pain Cycle" again)

My hope concerning my blogging hiatus...

... a real post is in the works.

 

Thanks for stopping by.  :)

My recent blogging journey...

Confession:  I've been feeling a little discouraged with blogging lately. 

I think that it's normal for those of us who have a blog to wonder; "Is this a valuable way to spend my time?" "Does anybody read what I'm writing?"  "Does it matter if nobody reads what I'm writing?"

Before I go on, let me explain that I don't worry a lot about numbers of comments or followers.  I know that my little blog is a tiny grain of sand in the endless beach of the Internet.  There are a gazillion other blogs and websites out there.  I know that I have a small circle of friends and family who regularly read what I write and I'm okay with that. So, I've never been concerned that I only have a few followers.

Having taken the time to explain that, I will now directly contradict myself.

I logged onto my "dashboard" the other day and noticed my number of followers was down.  Down!?  The number didn't bother me, I mean, there's not a big difference between 4 and 3, right? What bothered me was: Why would someone who had enjoyed reading it stop enjoying it?  Have I been offensive? (I'm sorry!)  Has the quality of my posts declined that much? (It's summertime around here, give me until the kids go back to school, things will get better!)  In short, I started feeling insecure.

Later, I was on the phone with my sister.  As I joked with her about blogging she posed this question, "What is your goal with your blog?"  She'd asked a legitimate question, and I couldn't answer it.

Is my goal fame and fortune? Doesn't interest me.

Do I want to land a book deal? Seems like a huge stretch of the imagination. 

Do I want to reach 10,000 followers?  I only have 9,996, I mean 9,997, to go!

So, recently I've been wondering "Why do I do this?"  Not in a woe is me (why-do-I-even-bother) way, but in an introspective (why-am-I-compelled-to-do-this) way.

Then I came across this post at Daily Writing Tips.  It outlines 5 reasons to keep writing, even if you are feeling discouraged.  It was great for me to remember why this tiny blog is important for me.  Maybe it will be a good reminder for you too?

Five Reasons Why Your Writing Matters
By Ali Hale

#1: It’s Not Just a Hobby

Non-writers often think that writing is some casual hobby – and not a very productive one at that. After all, you might sweat for days on a story, and it still might not get published. If you took up knitting instead, you’d at least have a lumpy scarf or a pair of socks to show for your effort.

Writing isn’t just a hobby, though. It’s a calling. Writers don’t pick up the pen (or turn to the keyboard) because they’re bored – they do it because they feel compelled to put their thoughts down on the page.

Your writing is part of who you are, and it’s not something to take lightly.

#2: Your Writing Can Outlive You

We’re all going to die one day. Of course, memories live on – but eventually, there’ll be no-one alive who ever knew you.

Your writing may well outlive you. Perhaps you’ve not got an audience for your memoir right now … but it could be an incredible treasure for your great-great-grandchildren. And if you’re a poet, playwright or novelist, you might find that your work lives on long after your death. Just think of Chaucer, Shakespeare and Dickens.

Your name could be one that every school child knows in three hundred years’ time.

#3: You Can Change Lives

Most of us have a pretty small circle of influence: family, friends, colleagues, our local community. Writing, though, lets us reach across the world. If you have a blog – even a blog with ten readers – you’re touching other people’s lives.

It always makes my day when I get an email or comment telling me how much one of my blog posts meant to someone. Often, I’ll hear “this came at just the right time for me”.

Your writing could change someone’s life, by opening up new possibilities for them, by teaching them something new, or simply by giving them an experience that they wouldn’t otherwise have had.

#4: Self-Expression is Important

If I don’t exercise, I get cranky – and if I don’t write, I get cranky too. I do some of my best thinking with a pen in my hand, or with a keyboard under my fingers – and I’d bet that you do too.

Being able to get things off your chest and onto the page can be extremely therapeutic – more so than simply talking about problems. The contents of your journal might be ephemeral but the act of writing it might be crucial for your well-being.

Fiction or poetry can also be a crucial outlet, letting you explore emotions and ideas, and bring structure to them.

#5: You’re Improving with Every Word You Write

Perhaps you’re tempted to give up writing because you’re not good enough. Perhaps you’ve had nasty comments on your blog, or you’ve sent off your short stories again and again, meeting with rejection each time. Maybe you’re worried about how to find a literary agent.

Even if you’re not quite there yet, you’re learning and improving all the time. Every single word you write helps you to hone your craft and take your skills further – especially if you’re actively seeking to learn new techniques.

If you give up now, you’ll never know what you might have been capable of.

I will continue blogging because:
- Writing is a part of me
- Maybe my own posterity will find value in my writing
- Maybe someday my writing will touch someone else
- Writing is a way I can express myself
- I have sincere desire to improve my writing