Timothy Luke Hopkins

Gone Barebones With Tumblr

I like minimal sites. I also like “pretty” sites. But, for the sake of getting back into writing, I stripped this website bare, applied a quick paint job, and got right to wordsmithin’.

This very minimal design I’m operating in started with a barebones Tumblr theme The Google found for me. I threw it on a grid, selected a few free fonts and, after a few slight design tweaks within the browser (Google Chrome is the sh*t), voila:

I already have ideas for the next iteration of the design, but those will be made in increments. This basic design is meant to focus on the content of the site — my rants, ramblings, Photoshopped comedy, short stories and such — and do it well.

This works for me… right now. I’ve already seen a few cool additions that I like elsewhere, such as:

• Dropdown box at the top and/or bottom for contact information (Ex: Spark Box)
• Black/White style click OR an automatic load of a night-time CSS load when it becomes late night (See: Bobulate… and shown in this cool little tutorial)
• Responsive Design so the view will adjust depending on what view you’re experiencing the site through (PC, iPhone, Blackberry, iPad, etc.)

So that’s that.

Other than side projects in the creative writing and producing world, I’ve been reading a lot lately.

Offline, I’ve been finishing all the Kurt Vonnegut books I can get my nerdy little hands on. Online, I’ve enjoyed reading posts from Justin Halpern (He of the Sh*t My Dad Says fame), Joshua Allen and Alexandra Petri at the Washington Post, to name a few of the funniest on the web. Every one of my laughs that makes a coworker or roommate stare at me with both discomfort and curiosity earns them an extra star in my book. They’ve all earned several stars as of late.

That said, I hope you enjoy the posts I share. There won’t be a comments section* to tell me so, but if you’d like to toss one of my posts onto the social webs and talk smack or rain accolades upon me, that’s perfectly acceptable. There are links at the end of each post to help you do that with a simple click. Or, if you feel so inclined, send me an email.

If you’re reading this on my faxlist – this goes out to my devoted fans in the East Wing of the Sunrise Community Center residence, who I tricked into thinking I was selling life insurance – thanks for all of your support. Hold those snickers bars close. If any of you have gripes or praises, write my name on an envelope and place it in the mail with the address:

ATTN: Timothy L. Hopkins
The Interwebs
United States of America

To one and all, old and young, I say take it easy and enjoy the ride, with or without your arms inside the vehicle.

*I’m testing Disqus comments that’ll let you login using FB or Twitter. We’ll see how that goes.