Reasons/Disclaimer **Best viewed in 1024x768, Internet Explorer. For the record, I did design the diary layout myself. The link to Outlaw by Design is at the bottom of the page because the graphics I chose to use are linkware. Also, I learned how to set up the triple background/table code at that site.** I decided to do this page just to help explain the what, why's and how's of this diary (just incase anyone actually wanted to know). Basically, it's just what it is . . . a diary (or a journal as I sometimes call it). I started this because I had a friend who kept one and I thought it was an interesting idea. I figured I'd give it a try since I was online all the time anyway and I could never really keep a paper journal. I actually did an entry about that here. The Diary was originally titled "A Day in the Life of a Rose" and the layout was very similar to what it was here. The graphics were quite different though. Now that I think about it, my graphics were similar to those I had on my website. But anyway, this is technically the third version, but I've labeled it "version 2" 'cause the original was titled something different. The title changed when I reopened my message board. I wanted something a little more interesting for my board title. I knew I wanted my board to link to my diary and vice versa, and I knew I wanted my board to focus on writing more than anything else. I thought on the "feel" of most of my poems and finally decided on "Tears of the Rose," but the french version sounds so much prettier. I write when I feel like writing, or sometimes when I'm just in the mood to empty my head. There are always reasons for the length of time between entries. Some of them are good (like this last period where I didn't have phone access and therefore no internet access, or back in the summer when I was having trouble between my ISP and D*land) and some of them aren't as good (like I was just being lazy . . . hey . . . it happens to us all every now and then). Basically, the focus of the diary is the content. It's an ear to listen when I need to talk and a thing I can look back on years from now when I need to laugh or I need to cry. The title describes the words and nothing more. I chose to do a simple layout so I didn't have too many distractions from those words. To be honest, it's a little "warmer" than something I would usually choose, but I like it. I think it's somewhat melancholy. But that's just my thought. Another friend of mine called it "romantic, but somewhat sad. Kinda broken hearted." Oh, don't run away yet. There's one other thing I guess I should explain the reason for. If you look into the address bar on your browser, you may notice that it's not a diaryland address. I keep the pages I have to update every now and again on my server so that I don't have to search through all my entries at d*land to find them, and I can update more than one at once without waiting for pages to load or any of that other stuff. So basically, I'm lazy.