Because it’s a Saturday night, I’m at home on the computer. (Oh, who are we kidding… I’m home on the computer EVERY night!)

Anywho, I was poking around on the Net and found an awesome WordPress plugin. So, the default WP installation has this boring grayish login box with no apparent, easy way to edit it. The BM (don’t giggle) Custom Login plugin by the folks at BinaryMoon.co.uk allows you to quickly create a nice looking login panel. They even through in the layered PSD file!

If you create WordPress sites for yourself or others, this is a nice touch to take things up a notch. The one that you see here took just a few minutes to make and install, but if you’d like to see even more examples of what’s possible, check out the Flickr Group.

I’ve been extremely busy lately. And I’m not talking about the normal “feel like I’m busy” stuff… No, this is actual “too busy to be busy” territory.

So I’m kind of looking forward to a slightly reduced pace this weekend. The two big projects I’ve been working on lately are each at a standstill as I wait for client input. Sure, I’ll piddle around with them this weekend, but I don’t have anything major planned.

Of course, I *do* have two *new* projects that I need to begin sometime soon. Plus a proposal to write, and a prospect meeting to prepare for….

Wonder where I can grab a copy of Bioshock 2? =)

So, I’m sure you read intently my post last week about my issues with GoToMeeting. If not, check it out here. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Done? Good, now we’re on the same page.

Today I received an email, out of the blue, from a Senior Director of Global Customer Support with Citrix Online. Apparently the guy found and read my post, and emailed me directly to find out how he could help.

What?!

It thoroughly impressed me that he had taken the time to read through my blog post, let alone the time and effort to contact me just to figure out how to solve the problem. He even offered a refund (although, in my reply, I let him know that I haven’t paid anything yet). He’s going to get me in touch with a support agent to find out why my Plantronics USB headset adapter has apparently caused the audio issues.

I thought I would pass along my experience and let everyone know out there how great Citrix was to handle this. Even if they don’t fix it (a problem that I admittedly don’t know is even theirs to fix), I’m excited to know that there are a few companies out there with some respect for the customer.

Thanks, GoToMeeting Dude!

…along comes another cool WordPress trick!

Of course, I’m joking about learning everything I need to know. There are so many ways to use WordPress, I doubt that anybody knows everything about it. And don’t forget that WordPress is just a platform — you’d have to know everything about CSS, HTML, PHP, etc. to know everything.

But I have started to venture into ways to make my web sites easier for the client to manage. And one of the neatest ways to do that is to create custom write panels. These live in the Dashboard just like normal “Add New Posts” or “Add New Pages” panels. But instead of presenting a confusing array of non-relevant options, the custom panels make the experience more pleasant by presenting only the options that the author needs. You can also add features to the write panel, such as an easier way to include form elements or thumbnails.

I’m pretty excited about the never-ending learning that WordPress development brings me. In just the past year, I’ve gone from thinking of WordPress as a bloggers tool to realizing that it really is a full-featured web development platform with an awesome amount of muscle. The online community has been amazing and I’ve begun listening religiously to a couple of podcasts, including @wptavern’s WordPress Weekly. I would highly recommend it if you use WordPress much at all.

While I enjoy a few tunes from Sinatra, I’m certainly no megafan. But I couldn’t pass on this incredible deal that @ihnatko pointed out on Twitter.

Nothing But The Best [The Frank Sinatra Collection] is a nice selection of 22 Sinatra songs that even casual fans like me would enjoy. The best news? This entire album is only $2.99! Yes, less than three bucks.

Even if you haven’t heard much, you’re bound to hear a get a few tracks you recognize. This is a great opportunity to expand your music library in a new direction for one heck of a price!

Oh don’t worry — if you use iTunes, you can change the album art once you download it. Wow, this cover is terrible!

It’s just before 4pm on Friday and I’m alone in the house until tomorrow morning. Time to relax? I wish! Instead, I have a full weekend of work planned.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m really not complaining. I enjoy the work I have to do over the coming days. The only reason I’m not thrilled is that I’m also sick right now… stupid cold!

Looks like I’ll be cranking on a new site for Backslash, putting together a structure for another client, and trying to prepare a class or two for Tuesday and Wednesday.

If you need anything, of course I’ll be available online. Everyone needs breaks, you know!