<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[DropSoul.com Creative Stuff]]></title><description><![CDATA[Articles]]></description><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/</link><copyright><![CDATA[Copyright DropSoul.com Creative Stuff]]></copyright><generator>sNews CMS</generator><item><title><![CDATA[CPA Web site design]]></title><description><![CDATA[  How to make a CPA website not look so run of the mill or cheesy or dark, reflex blue? Do you dig the quick logo I did?   

      ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:36:01 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/cpa-web-site-design/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/cpa-web-site-design/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Latest Web Design Work]]></title><description><![CDATA[        

  Actually this page covers many projects, not just web design. I don't always have the time to update it. Thanks!  

  

    I'm now writing for Associated Content. Visit my profile page to see my articles on health, bodybuilding, vegan cooking, and more.    

    Selling Air Web Design and Development    

    Actor's Web Design and CMS solution    

    IT Consulting Web Site    

    Limo and Tour Web Design/CSS/xhtml    

    Alexandra Raines web design and logo work    

  I've got two clients that I signed NDAs with, so I can't show my work there. Too bad. The only thing I can show is:   GiosWorld.org  .  

    Blumera.com    

    MyPlantId    

    Says Her design and CSS, not the illustration work.    

    SOL Nutrition and Yoga Logo Design and business cards, not loaded yet.    


    VeganProteins.com Web Site    


    FindUrWay.org web design comp. I'm working on the entire site this month (March 09).    


    Ecowise-Solutions, LLC, sustainability consultants. Web design, logo design, and site development, CMS (content management system). Yeah!    

    Find Ur Way: Your Conscious Consumer Connection branding    

    Vegan Personal Training Web Site Design and Development    


    Bowled Restaurant web design and development    

    Green Earth Travel Agency Logo    


    Art Gallery web design    

    Property Appraiser web site    







    Mytrae Meliana, M.A. Web Site    

    Ybor Restaurant Web Site    


    Holy Mud Box Designs    

  Remcraft Lighting Web site design:
  
  Home Pages:  
  Home Page 1    
  Home Page 2    

  Category:  
  Category Page    

  Product:  
  Product Page    
  
  

  The following poster stores use a php script that I modified somewhat. I did not totally re-haul the code, therefore they use a mixture of CSS and tables. All these sites are each updated by a single CSS file to make it easy to churn out more niche poster stores.  
    Art Posters and Prints    
    Vintage Prints and Posters    
    Alphose Mucha Prints and Posters    
    Rock and Music Posters and T-shirts    
    Fantasy Posters    
    Inspirational / Motivational Posters    
    Spiritual Religious Posters    
    Sci-Fi Posters    
	

  Logos for LexellTech and B2BLinkBuilder.com see their links on the left menu or in the archives depending on when you look at this blog.  

  Misc. stuff: Various banners for PNN and IceCreamProfits.com. Adjusted template for PHPmyDirectory for Industrial Generators, I didn't design the template but spent time cleaning it up and adding more sections. Still filled with tables, yuck. Working on a brochure for Maritime Legal Counsel. Nothing to show you at this time.  

  Contract CSS and xhtml and web development for local marketing firm (beta site). Type into your browser:     
document.write("www.RusticSteel2.com");
       Why no link:   tracking.  

  xhtml / css ONLY   (I did not design this)   for   SRS Realty Group, LLC.   Since this page has a PR 3 and that has a 0 with no link back, I'm hoping to get some google love for that site. I also did a sitemap.xml and added analytics too.  

  Contract design and xhtml / CSS for local programming firm. I did not flesh out the pages, I just provided the place holder pages. Type into your browser:     
document.write("www.digiscribe.com");
       Why no link:   tracking.  

  Contract design comps (and the CSS and xhtml will come next week) for local marketing firm. Type into your browser:     
document.write("http://www.rusticsteel.com/beta/testport/comp/ and http://www.rusticsteel.com/beta/testport/comp/sub.html");
       Why no link:   tracking.  

  Contract Design for local marketing firm. Type into your browser:     
document.write("www.ralphperezbodyrepairs.com");
       Why no link:   tracking.  

    The Israel Experience re-design (creative, css, xhtml only)    Note: this sample site does not work as a site. It will be implemented by the developer.   Their logo and colors!    

    PNN.com comps proposing new site design    
    Visionary Centre for Women Gynecologist and Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation    
    Tych Walker Architects South Carolina    
    Maritime Legal Counsel Maritime Attorney    
    Laurie Blum Painter    
    GrayHawkYoga Scottsdale Arizona Yoga Studio    
    KoolMoves Flash software    Note: The flash was not created by me. I just gave some direction.  
    Bamboo Apartments Anna Maria Island Florida Rentals    
    SunFlower Private School (this was adapted from another designer's design)    
  

  Note: Many times the colors and sometimes the fonts are chosen by the client. All the designs above already had logos, so I didn't design any of them. I am particularly fond of the brown and aqua colors of VisionaryCentreforWomen.com, which were suggested by the client.  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:09:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/latest-web-design-work/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/latest-web-design-work/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Selling Air Web Site Design and Development]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Latest work in progress. It's so airy ;-) and so corporate, which is not my thing. CMS work to follow.  

      ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:00:46 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/selling-air-web-site-design-and-development/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/selling-air-web-site-design-and-development/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Actor&#039;s Web Site Design and Development]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Work in progress includes web design, css, xhtml, cms database with gallery and other coolness.  

      ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:53:50 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/actors-web-site-design-and-development/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/actors-web-site-design-and-development/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[IT Consulting Web Site]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Web design, xhtml, css, database cms, the works for local, rocking IT company.  

      ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:50:48 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/it-consulting-web-site/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/it-consulting-web-site/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Limo and Tour Web Design CSS and XHTML]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Web design template for tour and limo company.  

      ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:49:34 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/limo-and-tour-web-design-css-and-xhtml/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/limo-and-tour-web-design-css-and-xhtml/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Gothic, Yet Classy Web Design for Alexandra Raines, Actor]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Crisp, black and white, with paper textures, classic typography, and yet Gothic, like the feeling of LA. One of my favorite designs! My role is only design and logo, another place will do the development  

See the comps in action:

    Home Page Comp    

  Sub Page 1    

  Journal Page Proof      


      
  
The site went live recently but I was not involved in the development past the psd file level.  ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:26:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/new-gothic-yet-classy-web-design-for-alexandra-raines-actor/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/new-gothic-yet-classy-web-design-for-alexandra-raines-actor/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Inspiration and Motivation for Fat / Weight Loss]]></title><description><![CDATA[  My prose may not be "all that" but I'm writing and hope to do more. My first article is:  

    Motivation and Inspiration for Weight / Fat Loss    

  To help motivate and inspire me to get fit and to lose a lot of fat, I have four main mantras that I repeat to myself. Using these everyday, I went from size 14/16 to size 3/4 in about 9 months. I'm going to explore them a little because I think you'll find that motivation and inspiration come from understanding and using them. These mantras are applicable toward any endeavor: spiritual, academic, or physical.  

  Read article.  ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:11:22 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/alternative-health/inspiration-and-motivation-for-fat-weight-loss/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/alternative-health/inspiration-and-motivation-for-fat-weight-loss/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Easy Way to Stop Smoking - ROCKS!]]></title><description><![CDATA[              ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:30:17 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/alternative-health/easy-way-to-stop-smoking-rocks/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/alternative-health/easy-way-to-stop-smoking-rocks/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Actor/Designer Mehera Blum&#039;s Blumera Bags Web design and development with mini-cart]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Hey, it's not every day that you get to design for a fantastic designer, a family member, and soon-to-be famous actor: Mehera Blum. Click on the image below to see the site, news section, gallery, mini cart, and other coolness. Vegan family message below image.  

          

  I never was the vegan police. Good thing too. Nearly all of my friends (most people, that is) eat meat and wear animal skin, not fur, but leather bags and shoes are normal. Mehera is a family member too, part of my Meher Baba family. And if you are familiar with the life of Meher Baba, this project was not too much of a wrestle with my own personal ethics. In conclusion: vegans win no points for animals by alienating our family and friends. It's for animals: not for purity or to be "cool" or hip or whatever...  ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:04:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/actor-designer-mehera-blums-blumera-bags-web-design-and-development-with-minicart/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/actor-designer-mehera-blums-blumera-bags-web-design-and-development-with-minicart/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[MyPlantID web design/css/xhtml]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Tom Wilson with Tridium Technologies is coding this and I did the design, colors, and the css and xhtml and cleaning up the horrendous-outsourced-to-India code that is on the current beta site. Tables and nasty javascript! Customer provided logo.  

      

      

      ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:53:41 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/myplantid-web-designcssxhtml/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/myplantid-web-designcssxhtml/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Says Her design and CSS]]></title><description><![CDATA[  They picked an inhouse variation of the bottom design. I'm doing the CSS/xhtml this week! These still have the comping watermark on them. My favorites are the first two. Such as it is!  

      
      
      ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:06:43 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/says-her-design-and-css/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/says-her-design-and-css/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[SOL Nutrition and Yoga Logo Design]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Julie found me through my   t-shirt designs on redbubble.com  .  

  You may think, hummm, she's doing a lot of logos with spirals, but both recent spiral infused logos were requested by the clients, so I am blameless!  

  But I do take total responsibility for the similar colors to my own scheme, they are so happy! And two of the colors were chosen by the client before she saw my site. Yeah!  

      ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:59:22 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/sol-nutrition-and-yoga-logo-design/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/sol-nutrition-and-yoga-logo-design/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Vegan Proteins Web Design and Development]]></title><description><![CDATA[  What is a quick design that just plops right out of my head? Well it depends on the subject, but an example is below for   VeganProteins.com   fund raiser.  

  I did the logo, the tagline, the sloppy code (which I'll fix later), and the concept. Me likes it!  

  I did this in trade for Vega and Sun Warrior. Each canister is 70.00 and 48.00 respectively for a two week's supply the way I run through it. Both are divine products!  

      ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:52:02 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/vegan-proteins-web-design-and-development/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/vegan-proteins-web-design-and-development/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Grattitude (Attitude of Gratitude) Genuine Fake Retro Coolness T-Shirt  ]]></title><description><![CDATA[  This design has been in my head for the last few months, so I finally got roundtuit.  

  It’s all about being grateful. As if I had to tell you! You’re very bright if you got it right away. I’m impressed. Is that not your goal in life: to impress me? I thought so. Gratefulness must come naturally, but if it doesn’t come naturally, you could just get this shirt. It’s guaranteed to make you see the word “grattitude”. A made up word, but all words were made up. So there! If you have your eyes closed, you won’t be able to see it, so open them up, please. While you’re wearing it and you look in the mirror, you’ll see “edutittarg” and that means a lot! It’s deep and profound at the same time! Like you, my dear. Oh, you’ll also see the words underneath, backwards too. Hopefully I’ve covered this shirt pretty well, let me know if I missed any major points or benefits. It’s all retroish. I felt like it.  

  Plus it’s sweat shop free and fair labor, as are all the shirts I have my designs on. I’m with it that way.  
    
      ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:56:10 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/t-shirt-news/-grattitude-attitude-of-gratitude-genuine-fake-retro-coolness-tshirt-/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/t-shirt-news/-grattitude-attitude-of-gratitude-genuine-fake-retro-coolness-tshirt-/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Find Ur Way Web Design Comp - Yum!]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Yet another cool design by me, who else? The person typing this.  

      ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:56:13 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/find-ur-way-web-design-comp-yum/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/find-ur-way-web-design-comp-yum/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ranting about MicroSuck IE 6 side by side with IE 7]]></title><description><![CDATA[  I just spent the better part of 3 hours cleaning the XP which I test sites on. My daughter installed many browser doo dads and applications. It takes a long time to uninstall stuff on a WinTel PC (piece of crap for sure). I'm on a Mac. God bless Macintosh! Drag and drop, such a V8 moment!  

  A long time ago I installed multiple IEs and the Standalone IE 7 (along with every other browser). The multiple IEs stopped working. IE 8 beta (crap) caused all IEs, even the stand alones, to be really buggy. Forms not working and generally lousy. Trendsoft is not supporting Multiple IEs and no matter how many times I cleaned and restarted, nothing worked. The error report would happen with every site.  

  The solution: I downloaded   www.epic-labs.com/IE6Eolas.zip   and now IE 7 and IE 6 are working. And all my sites look and work fine, btw.  

  But when, oh when, will we stop supporting IE 6.0? Come on folks, it came out in August 2001! Rather ancient, wouldn't you say? I'm so happy that IE in all versions has lost a lot of market share to FireFox! Yeah!  

  Now I stopped testing sites on any IE older than 6.0. I used to test on 5.5 and 5.1 &mdash; waste of time. If you have visitors, or potential customers, who haven't upgraded in 10 years &mdash a decade, seriously, do you want their business? I didn't think so.  ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:29:52 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/ranting-about-microsuck-ie-6-side-by-side-with-ie-7/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/ranting-about-microsuck-ie-6-side-by-side-with-ie-7/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sustainable Environmental Solutions]]></title><description><![CDATA[  I love this project! This is a preview the night before the presentation, so you're seeing it before the customer, unless she (you're awesome) peeks at the site tonight. Anyway, I designed the logo and the design, massaged her text, and used the photo she provided. It rocks and anyone who disagrees with me needs prayers (love your enemies, right!).  

      

      ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:40:12 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/sustainable-environmental-solutions/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/sustainable-environmental-solutions/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Find Ur Way new logo, branding, stuff]]></title><description><![CDATA[  I am particularly happy with this cohesive concept. Thanks, Christina, for the compliment!  

      ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:02:06 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/find-ur-way-new-logo-branding-stuff/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/find-ur-way-new-logo-branding-stuff/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Approved - The Official Stamp - Funny T-shirt]]></title><description><![CDATA[  I sell a lot of shirts, not enough to retire, or support my Vega (that stuff kicks it) protein drink habit, but it's good. I'm grateful. But this shirt needs more good sweet loving, so I'm re-dating (a blog term?) to get it some traffic!  

  Many of us, in fact most of us, are looking for approval. This shirt gives it to you, and you won't have to sell your soul to get it.  

  Seriously people, this shirt works. 50 Helens agree!  

  When you wear this shirt to your girlfriend's parent's house for the first time, it has the effect of a Jedi mind trick on them. You'll soon be running the family business. Running it into the ground, but still. And getting backstage at concerts? Forgehtaboutit!  

      ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:20:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/t-shirt-news/approved-the-official-stamp-funny-tshirt/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/t-shirt-news/approved-the-official-stamp-funny-tshirt/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Vegan Personal Training Web Site Design]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Now Live!   Vegan Personal Training  . Gee, these colors look awfully familiar. Actually they are similar to my colors and so what's it to you? Me defensive? Whouldathunkit? ;-)  

  This site is built on a CMS so it's easy for Melissa to update. There's a link directory, blogging (which I'm adding later), and a flash photo gallery, and a cool contact form. The site is built using CSS and xhtml. The pages should validate, but when people update their own sites, validation is not something I worry about. For example the &amp; sign can really invalidate a page, and it's such a little thing, so I let it go.  

          ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:32:16 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/vegan-personal-training-web-site-design/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/vegan-personal-training-web-site-design/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bowled Restaurant Web Site Design]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Awesome local restaurant owned by LONG, LONG, LONG time friends. If I told you how long, the jig would be up: you'd be able to calculate my current age of 42. Oops! The beans are spilled.  

          ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:40:31 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/bowled-restaurant-web-site-design/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/bowled-restaurant-web-site-design/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Green Earth Travel Agency Logo]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Logo comps for Green Earth Travel Agency. The top logo is the one picked. Unfortunately, due to the strangest CMS system this company is embedded with, I cannot re-skin/design the site.  

      ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:38:04 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/green-earth-travel-agency-logo/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/green-earth-travel-agency-logo/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Art Gallery Web Site]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Subcontract work. Looks familiar, huh? I've been waiting for a project where I can use my color bars, but these are different colors. I like how mod they look!  
      ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:36:48 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/art-gallery-web-site/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/art-gallery-web-site/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Property Appraiser Web Site]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Subcontract work.  

      ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:35:32 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/property-appraiser-web-site/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/property-appraiser-web-site/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Low Calorie Low Carb Yummy (Seriously) Chocolate Pudding]]></title><description><![CDATA[  It's also low fat and vegan too!  

  Ingredients:  

  
  2 - 12.3 oz EXTRA Firm Mori-Nu Silken Tofu (drained)  
  2 1/4 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder (very slightly rounded)  
  10 - 1g packets of Stevia  
  2 Tablespoons Turbinado (level)  
  1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract  
  1/4 level Teaspoon Decaf Instant Coffee (for a little of that dark chocolate feeling, without the dry, bitter taste of adding more cocoa)  
  1/2 Teaspoon Salt  
  

  Directions: Mix smooth in a food processor. Chill and enjoy.  

  Don't add more of anything until you taste it to your liking, then adjust the numbers below to reflect what you've done.
  

  Comparing a 4 oz serving next to Zen Soy pudding:  

  Zen Soy: 3 g protein, 27 net carbs, 120 calories  

  This recipe: 9 g protein, 9 carbs, 68 calories (double for 8 oz). Yields a total of 6 - 4 oz servings.  
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:24:20 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/vegan-recipes/low-calorie-low-carb-yummy-seriously-chocolate-pudding/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/vegan-recipes/low-calorie-low-carb-yummy-seriously-chocolate-pudding/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mytrae Meliana, M.A. Therapist Web Site]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Web design comp for a web site for a lovely being in San Francisco!  

  Here's the   link to the site  , which looks a bit different from the comp.  

  ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:06:54 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/mytrae-meliana-ma-therapist-web-site/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/mytrae-meliana-ma-therapist-web-site/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ybor Restaurant Web Design]]></title><description><![CDATA[  A contracted fun job. This is a vegan friendly establishment and they are good friends of a good friend of mine! Check out please copy the following url into your browser to view the site in progress: www.JalapenosDeYbor.com. I'm not providing the link because this is a subcontracted job.  

  ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:04:47 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/ybor-restaurant-web-design/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/ybor-restaurant-web-design/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Holy Mud Box Designs]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Well I didn't get the actual gig, but these were well received. When you see the final packaging on the shelves, you'll wonder why one of these wasn't chosen.  

  ]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2008 08:35:39 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/holy-mud-box-designs/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/holy-mud-box-designs/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Slim and Trim Free Weight Loss Tip]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Humans were built for walking. So my very fit and slim friend Michelle says that we must walk an hour a day. That's too long, so she says, "Okay, just walk a 1/2 hour and then walk back."  

  Brilliant!  

  I've lost 35 lbs. in a little over 4 months. (Update it's been 6 months and about 43 lbs). I'll post what I did some day. However, here's some simple advice without details for now: Eat small, nutrient dense meals many times a day. Eat something every 3 hours. Eat breakfast. Don't starve yourself. Don't eat until you're full, just eat until you're not hungry. That could be just spoonful of peanut butter (the transfat free, natural stuff) for a snack. Lift weights, heavy weights, not light 2lbs. start with 8 or 10 lbs. and go up to 20 or more for dumbells. Dance, run, walk, or bike about 40 min. a day (or at least 20 min.). 35lbs of weight loss with exercise, resistance &mdash; more than just cardio &mdash; will look slimmer than just lowering your calories (which, because the body loves to store for famine, you might end up gaining weight or getting ill). Eat, but make your meals count. Eat slow and don't drink calories. Drink water or herbal tea or green tea, no sugar. You will be amazed at the energy and the clarity of your thoughts. Weights are the best bet, the more muscle you have, the better you look with a higher resting metabolism. Simple. I just started doing heavier weights, 40 lbs. and more as I can handle it. It's doing wonders!  ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:18:58 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/slim-and-trim-free-weight-loss-tip/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/slim-and-trim-free-weight-loss-tip/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Barack the VOTE!]]></title><description><![CDATA[    I'm so touched that a brown person has been elected as the President of the United States. I never thought I'd live to see the day! I read "Black Like Me" as a teenager and I was moved deeply. I am happy tonight! I've been bummed by the last 8 years.  

  ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:36:43 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/barack-the-vote/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/barack-the-vote/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rocking Freelance Writer Atlanta]]></title><description><![CDATA[    Terrell Johnson Communications    ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:21:38 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/rocking-freelance-writer-atlanta/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/rocking-freelance-writer-atlanta/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Logo for B2BLinkBuilder]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Still in the concept mode.  

  ]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2008 23:35:20 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/logo-for-b2blinkbuilder/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/logo-for-b2blinkbuilder/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Logo Comp for Lexell Tech]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Still in the concept mode.  

  ]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2008 23:34:35 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/logo-comp-for-lexell-tech/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/logo-comp-for-lexell-tech/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tax Accounting for Rock Stars]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Funny!!!  

  This page won't validate, but this video is worth it!  


                
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2008 22:19:10 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/music-im-digging/tax-accounting-for-rock-stars/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/music-im-digging/tax-accounting-for-rock-stars/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bowled Restaurant - Awesome Food!]]></title><description><![CDATA[    Bowled   Restaurant  
3451 4th St. N.  
St. Petersburg, FL 33704  
  727-895-BOWL   (2685)  

    Bowled Restaurant St. Petersburg    

  And I did the web design too, based on their hip menus designed by another hip graphic artist whom I don't know.  

  I went to the opening tasting with my daughter on Thursday and we LOVED it! Even though I'm a vegan, and she's a vegetarian, there were a lot of choices. Plus they vegged out a few of their items. It was really, really, really delicious. My daughter said, "That is the best place I've ever eaten." She's got sophisticated taste too! All food we tried was fantastic.  

  They have a really cool, ecclectic menu. Check them out. Do it. Now. Really. Why are you still reading? Wait! They open on Monday or Tuesday this week, October 21/22, 2008. Make a date with your lover ... or your friend, or both at the same time (when they are the same person) whatevah...  

  Bowledly Go!  

]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2008 16:16:22 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/bowled-restaurant-awesome-food/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/bowled-restaurant-awesome-food/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Secret Weapon of Good Search Engine Optimization (SEO)]]></title><description><![CDATA[  There's the obvious SEO stuff like semantic mark up with css and clean xhtml, clean urls, and a bunch of other stuff that you can Google (like lots of text for the spiders to eat). However, you need more than that to get a good rank &mdash; not that I'm an expert since mine came down from tasty 5 to a 4 recently (after adding my links to Facebook... hummm) &mdash; the way to really get somewhere is one-way links to you from good ranking sites that are in your industry or articles related to your industry. I had a lot of in-bound links from non-related stuff (since this used to be an ecommerce site). But I digress... Check out   Text Link Ads   and use the current month name in lower case (october for example) and you'll probably get a discount, they also have sign up specials. I've done this and went from a 0 to 4 in three months on another site. Cool huh?  

  This is not an affiliate link, btw.  

  Also, if you don't know what page rank is, it's a way that Google ranks a page and it's not where it falls in the search results. You can also Google information about that and get a toolbar to tell you what's up with your site(s). Don't obsess though, they have SEO experts for that!  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:23:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/secret-weapon-of-good-search-engine-optimization-seo/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/secret-weapon-of-good-search-engine-optimization-seo/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rocking Vegan Tofu Scramble]]></title><description><![CDATA[  This is my own recipe that I concocted after trying many others. My family (my daughter, mother, and I) enjoys it the most. Easy and fast too.  

  Ingredients:  

  
  1 - 16 oz package of Tree of Life Brand Extra Firm Tofu (see instructions for more info)  
  2 1/2 Tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos  
  1 1/2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder  
  1 Teaspoon Onion Powder  
  3 Tablespoons Nutritional (not Brewer's) Yeast Flakes  
  2 Teaspoons Veganaise  
  1 Teaspoon Earth Balance (healthy, vegan margarine) - not pictured.  
  

    
  

  Instructions:  

  Drain, but don't squeeze the tofu (if you use the Tree of Life). Using the Tree of Life brand Extra Firm Tofu, is much better for scrambles because it's not so wet. If you use another brand, drain it by pressing it between two plates -- you'll get about 1/2 cup of water out of it. Really squeeze and use your muscles. Otherwise use the Tree of Life brand for scrambles (but not dessert dishes like pies, that's a different kind of tofu). You'll notice that I don't use the organic tofu, usually it's best to use organic because it's non GMO, but Tree of Life is all non GMO. So to save money and not buy into the "organic" scam (which sometimes it is -- organic pineapples -- puhlease), I use the non-organic of this brand. There's 12 veggies and fruits to always buy organic, I'll post the list someday or google it...  

      

  Slice up the tofu and place it in a medium heated pan with the Earth Balance. Break it up with your spatula to make it all scrambled looking and dump all the other ingredients on it. Mix it up. If it's too dry, add one tablespoon of water. Do not add salt. If you want more, add it per bite, not in the cooked mix. Cook the scramble until heated through or until a golden color appears on the tofu. Basically about 10 min or less on medium heat. If you use an iron pan (purist) then be sure it's seasoned and oiled so it's non-stick. I use the non-stick and yes it's not the "healthy" thing to do, but I'm in a rush most of the time. Use medium heat. Don't use metal utensils, and therefore get bits of the teflon in your food.  

  Here it is plated for my daughter; it's literally one of her favorites. I used slices of tomato and grapes and the low fat Pillsbury Brand Crescent rolls (only that brand), which Peta has on their accidentally vegan list. Other brands of rolls use lard. I avoid eating the empty carbs, but one won't do you in. Just one!  

      


    Vegan or vegetarian? Check out my cool veg shirts.    


]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 28 Sep 2008 16:21:55 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/vegan-recipes/rocking-vegan-tofu-scramble/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/vegan-recipes/rocking-vegan-tofu-scramble/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Love is EVOL spelled backwards - the jilted lover t-shirt]]></title><description><![CDATA[           

    Purchase or look at it closer here.    

  Okay folks, I came up with this when I was speaking to who else, a guy! And then I made the shirt design and did a Google search, it's been said before, which doesn't take the power of this design away, so visually stimulating. I've got an ego!!! This shirt is available in both men's and women's styles and oodles of colors too! Sweat shop free, but not pain free, right?  

  It is the ultimate anti-love shirt for those rejected, jilted, or otherwise hurt by love. Disappointed with love to say the least!
  

  Just remember everyone: you don't lack a single thing just as you are. He or she was an idiot. What a nut job for rejecting the awesome and totally lovable you. Seriously. I feel your pain.
  

  I don't actually feel that love is evil, it just really, really, really feels that way when you're suffering from getting rejected or whatever the case may be.   ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:33:01 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/t-shirt-news/love-is-evol-spelled-backwards-the-jilted-lover-tshirt/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/t-shirt-news/love-is-evol-spelled-backwards-the-jilted-lover-tshirt/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A natural cure for gum disease? I believe so.]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Most major brands of toothpaste and mouth washes actually perpetuate gum disease. They dry out your mouth, like sleeping with your mouth open, and cause bad breath as well as make a ripe breeding ground for the bacteria that causes gingivitis and worse. Do you really think large organizations like the ADA (American Dental Association) would be interested in pushing a product that kept you out of their collective offices and consequently not filling their respective coffers with loads of dough? Wake up! Here's my own personal story of an alternative health product that contains three natural ingredients: 100% pure, essential oils of peppermint, spearmint and almond. It's vegan and not tested on animals.  

        I went to the dentist in May, 2008 and the report was that I had one 5 mm pocket in the front, probably due to a popcorn husk getting down below the gum. I also had about four 4mm pockets. I forgot about those until my check up and cleaning today. Healthy gums have 2-3 mm pockets. I got referred to the Periodontist. After another exam and more expense, $90.00 for the exam, I got the low down (rather high): $2,500.00 for surgery and possibly $900.00 more for a bone graft. I had my x-rays transferred to get a second opinion, which I didn't get. After praying, yes, I did a search on the net and found a product called   OraMd Extra Strength     at the Mouth Doctor site   for about $50.00 (it's the extra strength kind, the   regular strength OraMD is about $20.00  )  

  Today, September 23 (4 months later, approximately), I went back in to the regular dentist. I've used only one bottle of the   OraMd Extra Strength   and the same hygienist is AMAZED, as am I!!! The tooth with the 5mm pocket is now 3mm and the gum tissue is very healthy. Also my mouth in general is great. The teeth that had 4mms are now 2mm. So basically my mouth is all 2-3 pockets &mdash; awesome! I'm obviously purchasing more of the   OraMd Extra Strength!   since it worked so well! It made my mouth moist all the time and clean feeling and fresh. It increases saliva and your natural defenses go to work for you. Oh yeah, in the interim, since I ran out about a month and half ago, I've been using Kiss My Face, which contains no sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), which is prevalent in many brands, it's horrible for the teeth and gums, it's very drying.  

  Check it out!  

    OraMd Extra Strength     

    Regular strength OraMD  
  

  By the way, when you use the   OraMd Extra Strength   you are not supposed to use anything else. No washes or other tooth paste. I floss though with the fuzzy floss, which scrubs the teeth and under the gum.  ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:59:44 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/alternative-health/a-natural-cure-for-gum-disease-i-believe-so/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/alternative-health/a-natural-cure-for-gum-disease-i-believe-so/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[My new business cards!]]></title><description><![CDATA[  ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:05:03 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/my-new-business-cards/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/my-new-business-cards/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Green Printing Services]]></title><description><![CDATA[  dropSoul.com now offers earth friendly green printing services consisting of recycled papers and veggie inks! It's cooler than cool. Get excited, will you!  

  This includes these items, your design or mine:
  
  
  Recycled Business Cards  
  Recycled Postcards  
  Recycled Brochures  
  Recycled Flyers  
  Recycled Catalogs  
  

  Other cool things:  
  
  Stochastic Screening  
  Aqueous Coating  
  Fast turn around time  
  Low prices  
  FSC Certified Papers  
  

  Let me know what you have and I'll get you a quote or, when you use my design services, we'll discuss your needs at that time.  ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:46:32 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/ecofriendly-green-printing/green-printing-services/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/ecofriendly-green-printing/green-printing-services/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Redesign of PNN.com!]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Really fun content can be found at PNN.com. There's some stuff that made me laugh heartily! And I read up on tons of gossip. Who needs a magazine stand when you've got stuff like this?   

  So the wonderful Lauren at PNN.com hired me to do some comps, keeping the structure so that the CSS can be swapped out. Here's what's going so far:  

    PNN.com makeover proofs    

    Original site.    ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:43:59 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/redesign-of-pnn-dot-com/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/redesign-of-pnn-dot-com/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Finally on Facebook]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Hey there!  

    Come and visit me on Facebook!     


  ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:39:04 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/finally-on-facebook/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/finally-on-facebook/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[American Rock School Logo Makeover]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Here is a fairly quick logo makeover that I did in the last day or so for American Rock School (TM). I was going for family friendly, nostalgia, clean and classic. The customer supplied the original design, home made:  

  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:10:46 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/american-rock-school-logo-makeover/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/american-rock-school-logo-makeover/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chickpea Salad Sandwich (Vegan)]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Makes 2-3 sandwiches. If you still eat dairy or eggs, you may substitute. However, using vegan ingredients is not just for ethical and protesting-the-corporate-status-quo-of-factory-farming-systemic-evil reasons: if you don't use eggs and dairy in your food preparation, the finished product doesn't spoil so fast and you're not likely to get food poisoning. Plus, you are eating zero cholesterol food! Only animal food has cholesterol.  

  General Tips: Have no fear, but use common sense. Add the spices (especially salt, garlic, and vinegar) in small increments and bring up the flavors to taste &mdash; don't throw caution to the wind. These tips are not specific to this particular recipe, but for all cooking.   

  Ingredients:  

  
  1 - 15 oz. can of Chick Peas (Garbanzo beans).  
  Chop 1/4 of a small onion (or more if you dig onions)  
  Chop 2-3 sticks of celery (or less)  
  Chop 1-3 dill pickles (see curry option below)  
  1 carrot chopped finely (not necessary, but good for vitamins, trace minerals, and color).  
  1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder  
  1/2 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar (to taste, don't over do it)  
  4 tablespoons water or less (to add moisture and use less mayo)  
  1-2 tablespoon(s) of Veganaise or another eggless, vegan mayo (Spectrum makes nice, low fat, mayo found in regular grocery stories. Nayonaise is not good for this recipe).  
  1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)  
  

  Curry version: Remove pickles and add chopped apples and raisins or cranberries. Add 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder to taste (I use more!). You can optionally add 1/4 teaspoon of Vegetarian worcestershire sauce, but it's not necessary.  

  Tuna fishy version: soak some Hijiki seaweed and add it to the mix. Yum. This tip courtesy of   Vegan with a Vengeance    

  Rinse the beans well and mash them lightly. Don't turn them into hummus, which is not likely as that requires a food processor. Use a fork to mush them up a bit. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl, obviously.  

  Assemble the sandwich with tomato, slice of onion, pickles, lettuce, etc., with a little mustard and more mayo if you want. If you are doing the curry version, mix a little mustard (very little), eggless mayo, and some agave nectar (better than honey) in a bowl for a fantastic spread for sandwiches and wraps.  

  Missing salt? Add 1/16 teaspoon (or less) of salt &mdash; it's better to add the salt as a sprinkle with each bite, rather than mix the sodium in the food. Remember this when you taste the food while preparing. Remember that mustard will add saltiness and vinegar will add zip. You don't need as much salt as you think.  


  
Use Hemp bread or Ezekiel 4:9 Bread for more protein and more nutrient density. Toast the bread, it gives your food more substance which helps you to remember that you are eating.  

  Some ingredients you should have around:  

  Apple Cider Vinegar  
  Salt  
  Braggs Liquid Aminos  
  Garlic Powder  
  Onion Powder  
  Curry Powder  
  Optional: Nutritional Yeast (get this at the health food store &mdash; Kal's Brand or Red Star) this is for B12  
  

  Vitamin B12 causes the metabolism to speed up, which in turn increases weight loss. I add it to all kinds of dishes. It tastes cheesy when mixed with garlic and a little salt. It makes great sauces and soup bases and is glorious when you sprinkle it on popcorn!  

]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:12:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/vegan-recipes/chickpea-salad-sandwich-vegan/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/vegan-recipes/chickpea-salad-sandwich-vegan/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Vegan Low Fat (really low) nutrient dense tasty salad dressing]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Nutritional Yeast flakes are not powder and not Brewer's Yeast. Nutritional Yeast by Red Star or Kal is loaded with B12.  

  Make your salad.  

    In a bowl or cup:    

  3-4 table spoons of water  
1/8-1/4 cup of nutritional yeast  
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (more or less to taste)  
1 teaspoon Braggs Liquid Aminos (more or less)    

  Mix and dunk or dump on the salad.  

  If you're not caring about a little fat, mix in 1 teaspoon of Veganaise or Flax oil. Flax is a great source of Omega 3. Walnuts, and many other veggies sources are good too,   see this link  . Fish have high amounts of Omega 3 because of the food they eat, we can skip the fish and eat the food they eat too. The oceans are being depleted and fish are full of mercury -- bad for the brain.  

  Good!  ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:22:57 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/vegan-recipes/vegan-low-fat-really-low-nutrient-dense-tasty-salad-dressing/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/vegan-recipes/vegan-low-fat-really-low-nutrient-dense-tasty-salad-dressing/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[More Music Links]]></title><description><![CDATA[  More YouTube Links for music I'm digging. Still haven't worked my way into this decade, but oh well...  

  Just copy and paste the url in a new window, that's the fastest for me right now.  

  Pete Townshend: Bargain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR_PJDZXMHM  

  She Likes Me For Me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSdbQLXpmPQ&NR=1  

  Living Colour - Solace Of You: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxOXBMA7Rro  

  Living Colour - Cult Of Personality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ5SVDYBNrY&feature=related  

  Living Colour - Glamour Boys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XRpuhc9dgU  

  Edgar Cruz: Bohemian Rhapsody, Classical Guitar (this is awesome): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ9jrBg4Lwc  

  Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irp8CNj9qBI  

  Fastball: Out of My Head: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd2aeZhu9xY  

  Fastball: The Way: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0wfu3tOrtQ  

  The Cool Cool River: Paul Simon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfHemRsWnZE  

  Me and Julio Down By The School Yard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr0GIrHIFS4  

  And I Love Her: Beatles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8fNDfdjXd8  ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:11:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/music-im-digging/more-music-links/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/music-im-digging/more-music-links/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fastball: Out of My Head]]></title><description><![CDATA[  I know it's about 10 years old, but after I had my daughter about 10 years ago, I've been out of it culturally. The lyrics are below.  


        
          
          
          
          
  Fastball: Out of My Head  
          
          
          
        

  
  Out of My Head  
  copyright Fastball  

  Sometimes I feel  
like I am drunk behind the wheel  
the wheel of possibility  
however it may roll  
give it a spin  
see if you can somehow factor in  
you know there's always more than one way  
to say exactly what you mean to say  

  Was I out of my head? Was I out of my mind?  
How could I have ever been so blind?  
I was waiting for an INDICATION  
it was hard to find  
Don't matter what I say only what I do  
I never mean to do bad things to you  
so quiet but i finally woke up  
if you're sad then it's time you spoke up too (x2)  

  Was I out of my head? Was I out of my mind?  
How could I have ever been so blind?  
I was waiting for an INVITATION  
it was hard to find  
Don't matter what I say only what I do  
I never mean to do bad things to you  
so quiet but i finally woke up  
if you're sad then it's time you spoke up too  ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:54:10 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/music-im-digging/fastball-out-of-my-head/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/music-im-digging/fastball-out-of-my-head/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Complicated and Long Forms]]></title><description><![CDATA[  If your site needs a complicated or long form, or even a multi-part form, and short forms too, I can do the job for you. Yeah.  
  
See the form   here   for an example.   Please don't fill it out, that's a live site!   The confirmation page is a summary of the entered data and has the ability to print it out for your visitor's convenience. You can get a lot of good feedback from your web visitors with forms.  

]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:02:51 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/complicated-and-long-forms/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/complicated-and-long-forms/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[&quot;I swear nothing happened&quot; new t-shirt design]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Not that you didn’t give it the old college try…  

  Funny t-shirt. Or I think it’s funny, and that’s what really matters ;-O  

      ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:32:41 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/t-shirt-news/i-swear-nothing-happened-new-tshirt-design/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/t-shirt-news/i-swear-nothing-happened-new-tshirt-design/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Back from India]]></title><description><![CDATA[  It was an amazing trip! Even now, a week later, I'm still getting over the jet lag.  

  I met wonderful people and had an excellent time, except I got sick, but that didn't last long. This was a pilgrimage to Meher Baba's Samadhi (Tomb). You can google "Meher Baba" to learn more.  

  I'd write more, but I don't have time because I'm playing catch up and working on a long standing publishing project. However, my schedule should look less cluttered in a couple of weeks.  

  I have more t-shirt designs to do, I'll post a link when I'm finished.  

  Namaste for now...  ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:28:43 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/back-from-india/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/back-from-india/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Went to India]]></title><description><![CDATA[  I am closing the shop until I return from India. Check back around the end of July.  

  I'd write more, but I'm too busy!  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:24:34 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/went-to-india/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/went-to-india/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cool T-shirt Designs (and other stuff too)]]></title><description><![CDATA[      

  My t-shirt designs (and some posters too) at RedBubble.  

  Sorry, this page does not validate due to this funky embed thingy from RedBubble.  

  ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:50:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/t-shirt-news/cool-tshirt-designs/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/t-shirt-news/cool-tshirt-designs/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Putting words on your web site (and other stuff)]]></title><description><![CDATA[  If you need help coming up with your copy, please consider hiring a writer. That&rsquo;s what they do. Your focus should be on your thing and they can interview you and write about your thing.  

  Before you begin work, release your fear. Fear seriously curtails creative thinking.
  

  The content for a web site is the same for any type of effective communication. It is to answer the following questions:  

  
  Why &mdash; what&rsquo;s in it for me (the customer is the "me")?  
  Who &mdash; who are you?  
  What &mdash; your services and the benefits of those services  
  Where &mdash; contact  
  When &mdash; if you give seminars or events  
  


    WHY is the most important.   Do your very best to answer the question of "What's in it for me?" from the perspective of your potential clients. Keep the answers short and to the point.  

  If the poop hits the propeller, why would I need your legal services? What sets you apart? What can you do for me? If you are a pet groomer, do you have more convenient hours? Do you also give doggy massages and Reiki treatments? I&rsquo;m serious. Don&rsquo;t laugh ;-)   

  The rest of a site is back to the main "Why" point. If you are writing about your experience in the "Who" text, then links to some of the points might be added to the "What" text.
  


  Can you sum up your business in one short paragraph? It&rsquo;s a great exercise.  

  If you were your own client, what questions would you ask? Answer those questions for a FAQ section on your site. Run them by your customers too. Ask your customers for help. Having an FAQ will save you a lot of time in the future, give you content for your other material, and use all kinds of key words that search engines nosh on.  
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:48:56 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/putting-words-on-your-web-site-and-other-stuff/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/putting-words-on-your-web-site-and-other-stuff/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[RedBubble.com Print on Demand T-shirts]]></title><description><![CDATA[  I've loaded most of my newer and older t-shirt designs on a my new favorite POD service called   RedBubble.com  . After trying CafePress, Zazzle, and Spreadshirt,   RedBubble.com   is my favorite. I've sold quite a few shirts in 15 days since I started loading up my files &mdash; especially the OM Cat!
  

  Why is RedBubble so cool?  

  
  All sweat shop free (verified) American made clothing made with ring spun cotton.  
  Hight quality: I ordered a shirt with white text on chocolate brown and it looked silk screened. I couldn't pick off the image. Really fantastic.  
  Easy to use for both the browser and the artist, but they need to improve a few things (which they are doing in the next few weeks). I love the clean, easy to use design on their site. Having a white background showcases the work.  
  

  There's so much more, but I'm too sleepy to write about it now.  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:39:50 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/t-shirt-news/redbubblecom-print-on-demand-tshirts/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/t-shirt-news/redbubblecom-print-on-demand-tshirts/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Union Made T-shirts now at Zazzle!]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Yipee! Zazzle now has three excellent sweat shop free clothing lines to choose from: Union Made, American Apparel, and Edun live. Edun live is Fair Trade and is Bono's (U2) ethical clothing line.  

  Check out my   Zazzle t-shirt   gallery (store) with all my funky, strange, though-provoking, silly, designs &mdash; even more than my portfolio on this site.  


]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:40:47 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/t-shirt-news/union-made-tshirts-now-at-zazzle/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/t-shirt-news/union-made-tshirts-now-at-zazzle/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[CSS Cleaner for Pretty, Compressed,  CSS styles]]></title><description><![CDATA[  I don't know about you, but when I make a style sheet, I'm pretty messy. In the past I'd have a lot of classes and divs. In the last year or so, I use hierarchy (div#header p ... or body.home div#header ...). This is much better and results in less divs and classes. This is a newer way for me (it's good to read a book, rather than go at it alone), so it's not seen in the style sheet for this site, for the most part.  

  I usually write the style on a long line and then I'll go back and indent to make it look better and easier to read, but not if I'm in a rush. Now I can clean up my CSS automatically with   CSS Cleaner  , a free online tool. I paste in my sheet and get it spit back with clean, consistent formatting in a variety of ways. It will even compress it 30-40% and make it hard to read, if you want that. 
  
  I just started using it this week. I love it!  

]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 02 Mar 2008 11:49:34 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/css-and-xhtml-tips-and-tricks/css-cleaner-for-pretty-compressed-css-styles/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/css-and-xhtml-tips-and-tricks/css-cleaner-for-pretty-compressed-css-styles/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Green Carbon Neutral Web Hosting]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Earth friendly web hosting is provided by:  
		  


    HostGator    Why? Month to month plans, 45 day satisfaction guarantee, really excellent site builder with clean web templates, 4,500 html templates, 24/7 phone support, lots of storage and space, unlimited domains on most plans, shared SSL certificate, lots of fantastic software for blogs, stores, and more. And now they are Green &mdash; Carbon Neutral   Learn More    


    Host Papa    Hostpapa provides earth friendly, carbon neutral hosting for 5.95-7.95 a month. 300 GB Disk Spacem Host 11 Domain Names on one account, 1 Free Domain Name for Life, 3000 GB Bandwidth, and much more.  


    DreamHost    DreamHost offers the mother load of features starting at $5.95 per month &bull; Over 150 GB of disk space and 1600 GB bandwidth (transfer), even on the level 1plan. The disk space also increases by 1 GB a week, so you can load as many photos, music and videos as you want. Unlike competitor hosting plans, you&rsquo;ll most likely never run out of space. And when your site gets super busy, you won&rsquo;t run out of bandwidth either &bull; 97 Money Back Guarantee &bull; Unlimited MySQL databases &bull; Free Domain Name for life! Please explore our site to learn more about this ultimate hosting plan, run by a employee owned cooperative.  



		  ]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 16 Feb 2008 11:16:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/web-hosting/green-carbon-neutral-web-hosting/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/web-hosting/green-carbon-neutral-web-hosting/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Site Down Due to Apache 2 Upgrade]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Man! I wish hosting companies would tell their customers that they are doing upgrades and that the site will be down. I also wish that they would do the upgrades in the middle of the night and not in the middle of the business day.   

  All my sites were down a couple hours yesterday, but my portfolio was 500 server errors and or blank for about 24 hours (I didn't know, because I have a lot on my plate right now).  

  You see, I use an older, modified version of Zen Photo, so I'm not in the mood (and don't have the time) to upgrade right now. The .htaccess file was working great for the last year, but due to the Apache upgrade, it has incompatible code. I found this out after waiting a long time on hold with the hosting company &mdash; unhelpful to fix it I might add. I'm no programmer &mdash; I know jack squat about .htaccess except for the basics. This particular .htaccess file has lots of Rewrite Rules like: "^([^/]+)/image/(thumb|[0-9]{1,4})/([^/]+)$" &mdash; nice huh?  

  This is the file that comes with the script, and since it's an open source script, I knew I'd be waiting a day or so for the answer to fix this (I'd have to wait even for a paid script). So I literally prayed and looked at the file, and then I had the intuition to remove the backslashes and the ? (question mark) signs (question mark signs that are not part of a path, or url) and then I reloaded it and it worked!   

  Whew!  ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:02:06 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/site-down-due-to-apache-2-upgrade/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/site-down-due-to-apache-2-upgrade/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mysterious Orange Flashing Light on Dell Desktop Computer]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Happy Holidays!  


  I do all my design work on a Mac, but I test on a WinTel. Last week, on the 16th, my Dell just stopped working. No sound, no fan ... nothing. Nothing except a mysterious orange flashing light that emitted from the power button. I tried many things and couldn't resolve the problem. I was really bummed out, but I need another computer, I can't test anything without it. That PC has IE 5, 6, 7, and FireFox, Opera, Safari 3, and Netscape. Perfect for testing my web sites.  

  
So I went to   Discount PC and bought an HP  . It was supposed to be here on Friday, but it's still not here.
  

  Last night, my brother and his family came over to do the Christmas eve gift thing. Being a Mac person as well, I didn't tell him about the mysterious orange light. But it came up in the course of the evening. He went over to the Dell and held the power button down for a very, very long time. It's working great now!!! Since my brother has another music school he just opened up, he needs an additional PC, so he's going the buy the one I just bought too (when it gets here). That worked out well.  

  I hope this helps someone out there.  

    Update:  Once I turned it off, it happened again and wound't start again. The power supply is messed up. That's getting replaced and all should be well.  ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 25 Dec 2007 09:11:24 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/mysterious-orange-flashing-light-on-dell-desktop-computer/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/mysterious-orange-flashing-light-on-dell-desktop-computer/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Neighbor&#039;s Dog Killed My Kitten]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Silvie was the most beautiful kitten (almost cat). She was just 4 months old and I must of kissed her 50 times a day. She was my daughter Mani's baby. Mani was very in love with Silvie and is so deeply sad now. Slivie was just luxury in cat form and so trusting and playful. She was also not afraid of anything, and that did her in. She went under the fence and the pit bull next door broke her neck. I will miss her forever.  

  Anyway, I just hired someone to build a gazebo of sorts with a 45 degree angle at the top, it's going to be a beautiful cat area of the yard so they can't escape again. I'm keeping the other cats in for the time being. 
  
  There's a Muslim/Sufi saying, "Trust God, but tie up your camel". Yep. That doesn't mean to tie up an animal. Unfortunately people look at the external words. It means: hold your kid's hand when they walk down steps. It means: wash your hands and take your vitamins. It means "do your part and let the universe or God do the rest". It means: build a large outside enclosure (complete with garden) to protect the cats from being killed, and protect the birds and little rabbits from getting killed by the cats.  

  I like pit bulls. Let me qualify that: When a child or a dog is raised by a balanced, calm person, they are quite nice beings to befriend. The pit bulls in Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan's family are gentle, friendly, and sweet. Even to other dogs. Karen Dawn, founder and awesome writer of DawnWatch.com and the best book on Animal Rights and Welfare "  Thanking the Monkey  ", has a soft spot for pit bulls, and all the other animals in the world for that matter. Her dog-daughter Paula is sublime. Please visit   http://www.BadRap.org   to learn more about pit bulls.  ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:45:13 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/the-neighbors-dog-killed-my-kitten/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/the-neighbors-dog-killed-my-kitten/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Client Testimonals]]></title><description><![CDATA[    Working with Christina has been an extremely positive experience. The end result has exceeded our expectations on every level.    

    Our new website looks amazing and much care was taken down to the smallest detail. Having a graphic design background myself, Christina's creativity and attention to detail were key to meeting our vision. We look forward to working with dropSoul for all of our future website needs.    

  &mdash; Carl von Thaden,   Inform Signage, Tampa, Florida    

    


    Rarely have I had the opportunity to meet or work with someone as professional, organized or creative as Christina.  The speed in which she finished my website, the aeshetic look and feel of the website and her expertise in this field exceeded my expectations beyond what I could have ever imagined!  Those who know me, know that I am very picky, so I was suprised to be 150% satisfied with the outcome.  Love, love love it!   Thank you for everything!!!!!     

  &mdash; Melissa Brey, Certified Personal Trainer,    Vegan Personal Training Online    

    

    Thank you!!! The website is beautiful &mdash; we've received many compliments on it, especially how easy it is to use.     
 
  &mdash; Alice Sutton,   Bamboo Apartments on Anna Maria Island    

    



    It takes my breath away...it is so beautiful! I absolutely love, love, *love* the website &mdash; I have been looking at it almost incessantly! You have captured 'me' in a way I didn't think anyone could. It looks exquisitely artistic, meaningful, and professional. I am delighted beyond words! Again, I am so delighted, Christina, I'm jumping up and down!    

  &mdash; Mytrae Meliana,   Mytrae Meliana, San Francisco Therapist    

    


    Thank you again for everything, the website looks so good I could cry!!!  You're the best.    

  &mdash; Jenni Fleming,   GrayHawk Yoga    

    

    I can honestly say I&rsquo;ve not worked with anyone more creative and talented in web design than Christina. She turned my crappy Cafepress site into a dandy-looking money maker, and the site she built for my appearance in Florida (and my 2007 Tour) is even cooler than my own Bizarro site. I can&rsquo;t thank her enough.    
  &mdash; Dan Piraro, Nationally Syndicated Cartoonist of   Bizarro    

    

    Going in, web site designers are a   Pig in the Poke   long-shot at best. Until you have seen what they can produce, they are no better than your erstwhile, well-meaning legal advocate telling you that "you've a case".  Needless to say, I have been pleased with the web designer for my admiralty and maritime practice here in the State of Florida,   www.MaritimeLegalCounsel.com  .    

  &mdash; Thomas M. Schodowski, Attorney at Law and Proctor in Admiralty  

    

    I opened up the website &mdash; it is so beautiful, I cried!  I am serious &mdash; wow!!!  You put so much work into it ... it is phenomenal!!!!  I love what you did with the sailboat picture, and how the sand blends into the background of the page, and how the photo gallery works, and how the google map works and and and!!!  It&rsquo;s a lot to absorb, and I know I haven&rsquo;t found all the treasures you&rsquo;ve buried.     
 
    Mom and I are so grateful!! &ldquo;Thank you&rdquo; seems so inadequate to cover this &mdash; but THANK YOU!!!    

  &mdash; Alice Sutton,   Bamboo Apartments on Anna Maria Island    

    

    Creative&hellip; innovative&hellip; hardworking&hellip; dedicated&hellip; a thinker&hellip;ethical&hellip; reliable&hellip; all of these words come to mind when asked to describe Christina Arasmo of DropSoul. As a graphic designer, I was searching for a web designer with not only technical skill, but also a strong understanding of graphic design.    
    Christina&rsquo;s experience working in the graphic design industry coupled with her technical skill allows her to have a unique perspective.  She is able to produce a web presence that is fast, user friendly, and beautiful.    
    Christina&rsquo;s ability to listen to her clients and help them reach their target market is truly a gift.  I have a firm belief that Christina&rsquo;s talents will help my growing business send a positive, professional message to potential clients.  She was able to help provide a &ldquo;facelift&rdquo; to not only my businesses website but also to my Cafepress site.  I gave her very limited direction regarding my Cafepress site and I am still amazed that she not only captured my vision, but improved upon it.    
  
  Her upfront communication skills are very valuable.  She is honest about her time constraints and always provides a realistic timetable for project completion.  As a result, she often is able to finish a project ahead of schedule.    
  
  One would think that her service would come at price that a small, growing business could not afford.  However, I believe that her value system is such that she wants to help others succeed and thus charges rates that are very reasonable.    
  
  I would high recommend Christina Arasmo and DropSoul to any growing business. I feel that her skills and reliability are unparalleled.    
  &mdash; Heather Manning, President, Heather Manning Design, Inc.  

    

    I have worked on projects with Christina for many years now. She is my Go-2 person for all things web related. As a graphic designer who has NOT gotten into designing websites, it&rsquo;s great for me to have someone I can call on to deliver a superb job for my clients. Christina is supremely honest, clearly creative, and a dream to work with. And...she&rsquo;s really really smart.     

  &mdash; Cheryl Pachell, InHere Design  

    

    Christina with DropSoul.com has created a website to perfectly suite the needs of our busy OB/GYN practice. Within a few weeks of &ldquo;going live&rdquo; we went to the top of the search engines. Her understanding of the way the system works has really improved our visibility on the internet. She knows how to take volumes of information and present it in a logical and pleasant way. Since launching in June 2007, we have had close to 8,000 visitors as of November, 2007 &mdash; which simply amazes me. Christina added Google analytics so that we can track where our visitors are coming from and how long they stay on our site, along with other useful information. I had a patient yesterday who said she found me on the internet and that she really liked the website.     

    We love our new website &mdash; it has exceeded our expectations.    

  &mdash; Dr. Jennifer Hayes,   Contemporary Women&rsquo;s Care    

]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:57:05 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/testimonials/client-testimonals/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/testimonials/client-testimonals/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Site Updates]]></title><description><![CDATA[  I'm changing my blog around and the entire site too, so please stay tuned.  ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:09:21 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/site-updates/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/dropsoul-news/site-updates/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Easy Zero Cholesterol, Delicious, Vegan Brownies]]></title><description><![CDATA[  After trying at least five recipes for vegan brownies, all of which were tasty and equivalent to their conventional counterparts, I found this recipe and modified it. This particular recipe produces the BEST divine brownies. If you're a baker, you might find it odd as you prepare it, but have faith.  

  1 cup unsweetened applesauce  (use organic applesauce if you can &nbsp; apples are at the top of spray list  
1/2 cup sugar (turbinado is preferred)  
1 teaspoon vanilla  
1/3 cup cocoa powder  
3/4 cup  whole wheat   pastry flour    
2 teaspoons baking powder  
1/2 teaspoon salt  
1/2 teaspoon baking soda  
1/2 cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips  
  (Ghirardelli brand is the only true [and vegan] semi-sweet morsels found in most conventional grocery stores.)    
1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts  

  These brownies are lactose-free and cholesterol free. Walnuts are a great source of essential fatty acids.  

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease and flour a 9 x 9 baking pan. ( I use Spectrum brand, rather than Crisco, trans fat free grease.)  

  2. Mix the sugar, the vanilla, and the applesauce in one bowl. In a second bowl, whisk the cocoa, flour, salt, baking power, and baking soda together.  

  3. Using a spatula, form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the applesauce mixture by gently folding it in until it's mixed &mdash; don't over mix. Then gently fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.  

  4. Spread the mixture in the greased and lightly floured pan and bake 20-25 min (if in a 9 x 9 pan) or 25-30 min in an 8 x 8 pan. It's near or at completion when you smell it the strongest. Look at it, does the center appear firm. Insert a toothpick, it should come out clean (or with a little of the melted semi sweet on it). Cool it completely before slicing (I put them in the fridge for 10 min on a glass shelf, uncovered). They must cool completely before cutting.  ]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 06 Oct 2007 09:18:59 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/vegan-recipes/easy-zero-cholesterol-delicious-vegan-brownies/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/vegan-recipes/easy-zero-cholesterol-delicious-vegan-brownies/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Signs of Intelligent Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[    Calvin and Hobbes (Bill Watterson)    
  The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us.    

      
  
See more at the coolest site ever (seriously):   BizarroArtist.org    ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 04 Oct 2007 21:11:40 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/signs-of-intelligent-life/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/signs-of-intelligent-life/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Don&#039;t Tase Me, Bro! The Injustice and the T-shirt]]></title><description><![CDATA[  See it for yourself. Then get the the   "Don't Tase Me, Bro!" t-shirt.  


  
  
  
        
	  	  
			  
			  

				    

		  Andrew Meyer getting tasered by the police at a John Kerry speech. Injustice! Brutality!  
			    
  
  

          
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 19 Sep 2007 11:41:38 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/dont-tase-me-bro-the-injustice-and-the-tshirt/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/dont-tase-me-bro-the-injustice-and-the-tshirt/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bealzabub has a devil set aside for me ... for meee]]></title><description><![CDATA[  This is   Edgar Cruz playing Bohemian Rhapsody   on guitar, all parts. It is sublime. Queen is my favorite rock band and Freddie Mercury my favorite singer/songwriter in the rock category (well, if you must know). Silly me.  


  
  
  
        
	  	  
			  
			  

				    

		  Edgar Cruz - Bohemian Rhapsody (classical guitar)  
			    
  
  

    Guitar lessons online. Classical guitar.    
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 13 Sep 2007 17:53:02 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/bealzabub-has-a-devil-set-aside-for-me-for-meee-/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/bealzabub-has-a-devil-set-aside-for-me-for-meee-/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bizarro Cartoon: But He Like Killed]]></title><description><![CDATA[  This is one of my favorite Bizarro Cartoons, out of many!  

      

  See many more Bizarro Cartoons at the site that yours truly designed:   www.BizarroArtist.org    ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:23:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/bizarro-cartoon-but-he-like-killed/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/bizarro-cartoon-but-he-like-killed/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Brilliant Gandhi Quotes]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Here are a few of my favorite quotes by Mahatma Gandhi:  

    One needs to be slow to form convictions, but once formed they must be defended against the heaviest odds.    

    Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.    

    The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.    

    Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.    

    When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have 
always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it &mdash; always.
    

    You must be the change you want to see in the world.    

    You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.    

    What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?
  
      From   Non-Violence in Peace and War  
  

    Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.   (Satyagraha Leaflet No. 13, May 3, 1919)  

    I think it would be a good idea.   (when asked what he thought of Western civilization)  

  According to Gandhi, the 7 sins are :  

  
  wealth without works,.  
  pleasure without conscience,  
  knowledge without character,  
  commerce without morality,  
  science without humanity,  
  worship without sacrifice,  
  and politics without principle.  
  


    The earth provides enough to satisfy every man&rsquo;s needs, but not every man&rsquo;s greed.     

    What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.    

    We cannot have ecological movement designed to prevent violence against nature, unless the principle of non-violence becomes central to the ethics of human culture.     ]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 01 Sep 2007 08:01:07 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/brilliant-gandhi-quotes/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/brilliant-gandhi-quotes/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dioxin Exposure : What the EPA says]]></title><description><![CDATA[  I occasionally get emails forwarded to me by well meaning friends regarding dioxins and plastic water bottles or plastic wrap. I always email back this bit of information about where people get the most dioxins, and it&rsquo;s not from plastic.
  

  Dioxins have been characterized by EPA as likely to be human carcinogens and are anticipated to increase the risk of cancer at background levels of exposure.  

      Most of us receive almost all of our dioxin exposure from the food we eat: specifically from the animal fats associated with eating beef, pork, poultry, fish, milk, dairy products.    

  &mdash; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency    

  Visit these links to learn more:  
  
    EPA Website    
    The Cancer Project Website    
    Dioxin Risk Article at TreeHugger    
  ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 31 Aug 2007 18:14:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/dioxin-exposure-what-the-epa-says/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/dioxin-exposure-what-the-epa-says/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Diet and Depression]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
Alternet, my favorite source for un-corporate monger news, has just published an article entitled     Can Diet Help Stop Depression and Violence?    . It&rsquo;s a good read, but I warn you before you start downing a bunch of fish, that commercial fishing is playing a huge part in destroying the environment and that many types of   fish contain high doses of mercury  . Mercury is a neurotoxin &mdash; so much for the health benefits, huh?
   

  
So where do the fish get their Omegas? From the plants they eat! And we too can get them from plant sources. Flax seeds and oil, walnuts, navy and soy beans, hemp seeds/oil, and other sources. Even Smart Balance peanut butter is a fantastic source of Omega 3, and other essential fatty acids. Plus, kids will not want to swallow a horse-sized pill of fish oil, or eat fish every day (tuna is especially loaded with Mercury), so mix some flax oil in their yogurt (can&rsquo;t even taste it), use it in salad dressing and dips too. When I bake, I typically use ground up flax seeds as the binder, instead of eggs. Sprinkle hemp or flax seeds on your cereal, add them to your salad, and the tops of casseroles for a crunchy goodness. Yum!
  

  So kids, getting your essential fatty acids from plant sources is much more sustainable, it&rsquo;s healthier for you, and it&rsquo;s really healthy for the fishies too.  ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/diet-and-depression/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/diet-and-depression/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rudolf Nureyev on the Muppet Show]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Last night I saw very interesting bio of Rudolf Nureyev on PBS. So sensitive and talented! I found this video on YouTube and had a good laugh. Enjoy!  

  
  
  
        
	  	  
			  
			  

				    

		  Get flash to play this.   
			    
  
  
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:41:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/rudolf-nureyev-on-the-muppet-show/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/rudolf-nureyev-on-the-muppet-show/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Brand New Web Site and Blog]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Welcome to my portfolio and blog. I feel like I&rsquo;m starting over again: it&rsquo;s been years since I&rsquo;ve designed a site for myself. I decided to retire my old site   ChristinaCreative.com   in favor of this domain name, which I prefer since it&rsquo;s the one associated with my t-shirt designs &mdash; which are getting popular. I do them for fun, but it&rsquo;s especially nice to make recurring income. I also have many more ideas. I&rsquo;ll try to schedule adding new designs once a month.  

  My skills as a css/xhtml coder for websites is getting up to speed just now. Therefore, most of the work in my portfolio uses web 1.0 techniques. But at least you can see that I don&rsquo;t bite at the design part.
  

  I&rsquo;m no writer though. My prose leaves much to be desired. Hopefully, with this blog thing, I&rsquo;ll get better with practice.  

  Thanks for visiting!  ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/brand-new-web-site-and-blog/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/this-and-that/brand-new-web-site-and-blog/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[About Me]]></title><description><![CDATA[    My name is Christina Arasmo Beymer. I am a mom, a wife, and a freelance web, print, and logo designer soon to be living in Santa Rosa, California. It is about one hour north of San Francisco. It's beautiful! I work for clients all over the world.  

  I really don&rsquo;t have much to say here. Humm de dumm.  

  Since I don&rsquo;t want to bore you with my life story, I will   philosophize   (new word?) a little bit about design. My focus is creating designs that fit the target audience. If you look at my work, it doesn't all look the same. Funky, conservative, whatever... they all have a basis in clean, clear communication. I strive for balance. Good design shouldn&rsquo;t get in the way and it&rsquo;s not for showing off.  

  Enough about me.  
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:07:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/freelance-design-services/about-me/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/freelance-design-services/about-me/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Freelance Design Services and Rates]]></title><description><![CDATA[  I provide the following services, but I can&rsquo;t claim to do all the work. Occasionally, I work with php and/or javascript programmers to accomplish any non-standard functionality. Nevertheless, the majority of the time, there&rsquo;s a pre-existing script (whether open source or commercial) that will suit most needs without additional expense and time. Since I prefer to focus on a skill set that will bring you traffic, flash sites are not part of my repertoire. Though, I will outsource small flash areas of the page or do them myself. My focus is on clean, professional design created with web standards in mind. Speaking of standards, why not dump your Internet Explorer and   get a better browser now?    

  
  Web Design and/or Development
  
			  Content Management Systems (news, portals, etc.)  
			  Blogs  
			  Calendars  
			  Online Stores (Ecommerce)  
			  Link Directories  
			  Photo/Artist Portfolios  
    

	  Logo Design  
	  Print Design
  
	  Brochures  
	  Fliers (Flyers)  
	  Postcards/Mailers  
	  Posters  
	  JCards  
	  Stuff  
    
  



  Freelance Design Rates  

  My rates are based per project, most of the time. Please visit my   hire me page   to get an estimate.  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:56:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/freelance-design-services/freelance-design-services-and-rates/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/freelance-design-services/freelance-design-services-and-rates/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Business and Green (Earth Friendly) Hosting]]></title><description><![CDATA[  For the   BEST hosting reviews   that actually are   real hosting reviews   and not copy and paste jobs, check out WebHostingAvatar.com.

The ultimate place for the   best web hosting   and   cheap web hosting   is WebHostingAvatar.com.  WebHostingAvatar's reviews go over which hosts provide pro-rated refunds, which ones have easy web builders, as well as the lowest prices and best hosting plans for   business hosting  , 


  vps hosting  , 

  dedicated hosting  , 

  green hosting  , 

and more.  



  Web Basics  

  There&rsquo;s only three basic things you need to get a website up, they are:  


    Registering your domain name   (eg., mywebsite.com) with an ICANN accredited registrar like GoDaddy many, many others. Registration is like getting your business name set up with your local government (but it&rsquo;s a thousand times easier). But beware! Don't get hosting with GoDaddy. It sucks. I'm not just saying this so you sign up with the hosting I recommend, but it really bites. Plus, you should not put your eggs in one basket. If you register with one place, don't host with them too. If you host and register with the same company, you're tied to them and should you want to change hosts, it's a pain.  

      Web Hosting:     Hosting is like renting your storefront. Your host has a bunch of servers located in a physical location on this planet. On one of those servers, in your own section, is where your files are stored &mdash; files that when viewed by a web browser (Internet Explorer, FireFox, Safari, Camino, etc.,) will be your website.  

    Something to put up on your section of the server designated as your website (aka your website):   The best advice is old advice: Keep It Simple (at least in the beginning). Focus on what you&rsquo;ll be using your website for and and build on that. Is it to give advice, sell your services, act like a brochure so you can save some trees, sell your hand made soaps, blog about bunnies? It's best to do an outline in your favorite word processor and get your thoughts in order before you present it to a web designer, hey I'm a web designer!  

]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 19 Aug 2007 15:26:28 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/web-hosting/business-and-green-earth-friendly-hosting/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/web-hosting/business-and-green-earth-friendly-hosting/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hire Me]]></title><description><![CDATA[  My office is closed until I move to No. CA. I will re-open on 20 April.  

  Thanks for your interest. I am blushing! Please fill out the form below and I will get back to you very soon, or you can call me at 415-294-4405 or email me at me(at+sign)dropsoul.com  

    


]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 19 Aug 2007 15:06:09 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/freelance-design-services/hire-me/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/freelance-design-services/hire-me/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Contact Me]]></title><description><![CDATA[  My office is closed until I move to No. CA. I will re-open on 20 April.  

]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 19 Aug 2007 15:06:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/freelance-design-services/contact-me/</link><guid>http://www.dropsoul.com/ds/freelance-design-services/contact-me/</guid></item></channel></rss>