Blogging is also the opportunity of crossing paths with very interesting people, and that seems to be another powerful motive behind my staying around, even though I have been writing at an irregular pace. Forcing myself to sit at the computer and write something on the damn blog for Christ's sake is not exactly how I envision a pleasant hobby, but I also have to admit that Blogger's limited interface was starting to get on my nerves. This kind of tool is very nice and helpful, but can get excruciatingly painful when you are used to something different and more adapted to your needs, in the same way that going back to dial-up after having used a fast connection makes you want to throw the computer out of the window without even opening it.

So I've gathered $6.95 (out of my tax refund) and bought unsubstantialbubbles.net (with 1&1), plugged it on my already owned hosted account (with webhostingbuzz), installed Dotclear, played a bit with the templates offered by Upian, and here we are.

Pretty different from the previous place, I'd say.

There still are minor technical tweaks to perform here and there (including trying to import all the previous Blogger entries), but I am pretty satisfied with the design right now. I have used browsershots to have an idea of how things look under various browsers / OS different than mine, and as far as I can tell there is no major hiccup in the pages, but I'd be glad to hear your feedback about usability and readability. (You can also mention that you hate the whole thing and find it very ugly, but as I am rather pleased with it, don't expect me to change it for you.)

A word or two about Dotclear: yes, it is a French blogging solution; however, it is not French-only. Documentation is mainly in French, but the engine itself is actually written in English first, and you can install your own blog fully in English (as I have just done). People on the forum are very dedicated and always helpful, whether you use English or French to discuss with them; so if you are interested, don't let the language issue deter you. Now, I have mentioned earlier that (as far as I am aware) Dotclear is what fits my needs and requirements the best; I am in no way implying that it is the best solution ever for everyone and everybody to use right now, so please, let's not transform this first bubble, however boringly technical it is, in a blogging engine troll.

Oh, and there's even a new e-mail address:
citronella [at] unsubstantialbubbles [dot] net
and of course a new feed (atom or rss) for your feed reader!

So now, as far as non-technical contents are concerned, I suggest you start with More About Citronella because there are quite a few things to read over there...