I hope you’ve all had a wonderful holiday season, and that your new years is off to good beginning.

If you've been visiting this site over the last month or so, you likely haven't noticed much change — which is sadly ironic, since my last Welcome entry promised lots of changes. There is, however, a reasonable explanation for my lack of participation.

The biggest change in my life in 2008, perhaps in my lifetime, has been the birth of my daughter, Hana. As any parent among you knows, this is a monumental experience and undertaking. It draws, and demands, the bulk of your time, energy, and attention — though you give all happily. That explains the lack of attention to Still Ranting. However, I have been busy updating my other blog, which chronicles the life of my daughter. Project Mango, launched the moment we found out Natsuki was pregnant. That site, found here, keeps my family and friends happy with baby news, as well as provides a place to post just some of the thousands of photos of Hana, without changing the focus of this site. It also ensures that this site will not suddenly become overwhelmed with parental sentimentality or baby photos.

More Changes to Come

I've long been considering adding a new section, called Process, where I'll post "how to", product reviews, or theory essays regarding creating the art I do. Stay tuned for that, or other possibilities. As always, your feedback is not only welcome, but necessary for me to fine tune what gets posted here.

One Final Note

If you'd been having trouble loading pages or leaving comments on this site in the last few months, you're not alone. The problem stemmed back to Apples migration of .mac to MobileMe. After several months of pulling my hair out, a solution has been found. Make sure the URL for the page contains www.me.com instead of www.mac.com. That should do the trick. If not, please drop me a line and let me know the offending pages!

:Dan

January 1, 2009