Life. Blogging. WordPress.
Simple, right? I started blogging back on April 15, 2003 and using WordPress on May 13, 2005. I’ve been doing this blogging thing for a while now.
It wasn’t until recently that I decided to narrow my site’s topic or theme down to something that would help me expand my audience. I thought to myself, So, Justin. What are you good at? Nothing really. I enjoy using WordPress and I’ve been using it for a while. Maybe I have a little expertise.
- Life:
My life can get a little crazy sometimes. Heck, I’m living in South Korea right now. That’s crazy. - Blogging:
I’ll sometimes write posts about the art of blogging. This may be more about “how to” write well because I have an English degree, and I suppose I should know a little something about writing. Just a little. - WordPress:
I develop all kinds of neat WordPress things around the site. I’ll give you tips and tutorials on how to best use this great system.
About Me:
I graduated from Auburn University after five years of grueling hard work, insane partying, and sheer laziness with a degree in English in May of 2007. Before that, I finished high school in 2002 from a little town, oops, I mean community, or slab of pavement a few miles long, called Highland Home, Ala.
I’m currently teaching English at Avalon English in Seoul, South Korea. Weird, huh? This small-town boy from the woods in Alabama managing to see enough clearing in the trees to simply go for it out of curiosity? Life has this funny way of putting people in situations they never thought they’d be in. Sometimes, I just have to sit back and reflect on where life decided to place me. I feel like just a passenger at times.
This website has been a kind of home for me since 2003. It started out as Dark Autumn (a site name I may reflect further on at some other point). Its focus has been all over the place. Fan fiction, web design, literature, art. But mostly, it has been about my life.
I assume it will always be about my life because that’s what’s really worth reading about, isn’t it? I don’t know how many more reincarnations will happen in the future of the site, but I do know that I probably won’t stop blogging for a long time. I hope to never stop.
Part of the thing I like about blogging is that sometimes I have to truly open up to the world. Honestly, I’ve never blogged about my deepest feelings. Those I have to put in a journal somewhere dark and hidden from the world. But sometimes, I let a few of those feelings out, forever allowing the world access to them. Sometimes, that’s my best writing. And truly “writing” means truly opening up. Let the world see who you are.
Recently, I’ve been reading a lot more Stephen King. I like his attitude when writing. He’s like, “Here’s what I have to say. Screw you if you don’t like it.” I can feel that attitude come out in his writing. He’s the kind of writer that makes other writers feel ashamed for not showing a bit of their soul, their inner demons, once in a while.
So, if you haven’t guessed by now, you should know that I want to be a writer. Not just some almost-been, one-book-selling writer. I want to be more than a great writer. I want to be remembered like Shakespeare is remembered. Like Stephen King will be remembered.
One of my favorite quotes, and one I’m trying to get through to my sister who I think can have a great career as a singer, is by Ayn Rand:
“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamp of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all.â€
I love this quote because it reminds me that I’m still young enough to see my dreams clearly, but not old enough to simply be content with life. This is not saying that old people cannot realize dreams, just that I’ve seen too many people “settle down” and forget about them so early in life. I suppose it’s a curse of growing up in small-town Alabama.
I always wanted to escape that place—Highland Home. But there’s something about it that feels so right. It’s home. Whether I decided to “settle” there later in life is of no consequence. I still plan to keep my flame burning feverishly. That’s the good thing about being a writer—you can write anywhere you are geographically. However, I think there’s something about Highland Home that’s calling me as a writer. Somehow, I feel that I must return there to remember the novel that I haven’t finished. Remember why I started it. Remember why the story is so important. Remember why I wanted to escape. Why so many don’t. Why my being itself is essentially shaped by that place. Remember.
That’s enough about me for now. Go enjoy the rest of the site. I’m sure there’s something around here that will catch your interest. Feel free to check out the Justin page too. It will one day be merged with this page.
This site runs on:
- Wordpress
- Notepad
- My Heart & Soul
Hey Justin
Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog. I certainly agree that there is a definite grey area surrounding the debate of CC vs GPL and it should be interesting how things turn out…
And never diss your own themes!
Every WP designer starts out somewhere and you’ve made a very good start with your designs. Just keep plugging away at it and eventually we’ll all be as good and cool as Small Potato…
I’ve subscribed to your feed and I’ll keep myself up to date with your latest content. Would love to exchange links with you, so let me know if you’re keen on some link-love!
Cheers
Adii
Hey Justin,
Just writing to say I enjoy the blog. You seem to have a rather eclectic taste in reading. If you want you can buzz on by my site. I have part of a story I wrote there and, if you like, I could send you the rest.
Thanks for coming by Matthew. As you said, I do have an “eclectic taste in reading.” I just try to cover a broad range of material. To some degree, you can’t learn to accept, or better yet, understand others’ ideas without venturing into some things outside your personal comfort zone.
I was intrigued by your site, and I’ll take a closer look at your writing when I get a little time to sit down and relax.
Justin,
Since I couldn’t find contact info for you, I’m posting this comment here. I’ve been messing around with Simply Tree. Mainly by changing all backgrounds to white. The result can be found at: Testblog. So-called because that’s where I’m testing the changes I make to background, border, and font colors. As time goes by there will be additional changes, so expect Testblog’s appearance to change as well.
And while I’m at it, how would I widen the left hand sidebar? It’s a little narrow at present for displaying those quotes provided by the plugin I’ve told you about.
Thanks, Alan
As I am sure we are not related, I must say cheers to having a literate blog this Tadlock can endorse. Congrats on graduating, my BA is in History and I’ve been shirking that accomplishment ever since:):)
cool to find you
Ursulla Tadlock
Hey hows things going over there i’m back home at dads rite now so you’ll have to email me untill me and amanda get her computer fixed and we can get back online ok..I hope everything is doing ok.or you can messege amanda on her cause i cant get on at the library.talk with you later.
Wow, Shannon, you have a total of five punctuation marks and one of them is used incorrectly. How’s that GED working out for you? Just kidding man. Write me any time. You know where to e-mail me. I was wondering why your phone wasn’t working. I tried to call you with Skype a couple of times. Anyway, send me an e-mail sometime or another.
What the heck are you doing in South Korea? How’s it going Justin?
I just thought i would let you know Garrett and Carey are back in alabama me and amanda ran into them last wensday night at the fair in andalusia.Garrett was trying to win a jeep. email me back ok take care miss being able to talk with you.oh yea go to greenvilleadvocate.com and make sure to read my column each saturday.this week its going to be in it on wensday the 31st and then agin on saturday.I’m steeping up in the world.
Hi Justin,
I found you via your theme Visionary. So I looked around a bit an I must say: You make a very fine blog! And that’s a good reason to pass your know-how to my readers:
justin-tadlock-life-blogging-wordpress
And I listed you in my WebKompass too:
http://eisbrecher.net/indexu/blogs/alpha-blogger
Happy Blogging!
Rudi
Thanks Rudi. Be sure to subscribe to the feed.
Hi Justin – love the layout but am having issues with its use. You have Home, About and three examples on top. I want to take Pages I put out before and have them prominently displayed up top, but can’t figure out how to change those Examples to real stuff. Please enlighten me-thanks
Jack
Hey Son, Just catching up on reading a little. It’s cold here in Alabama right now and can’t get outside.
Hi man, your blog has been block from China, but i am luckey enough to get around and view the stuff on your site, I enjoyed the theme and will use them to build for NGOs in China by fostering their cause on web.
I will let you know of who used your theme and for what purpose driven mission.
Thank you and if you have chance to come over since China is your nextdoor.
Brian, well that sucks — that I’m blocked in China. Thanks for the comment. Which theme(s) are you using?
I do plan on making it to China sometime or another. I hope to go when I leave for back home next year. I might do a mini-tour of some other Asian countries.
I am teaching a course on blogging and found your blog. It is a great example of what can be done with blogs, and I am going to use it as an example for my class.
I hope you don’t mind if I show it to my class.
Thanks! I enjoyed my visit here very much.
I also manage a blog for http://www.mastermindpros.com/blog and that is who I am teaching the course for. We have just started our blog, but I have several others out there.
Jason,
Just wanted to drop you a line to say your blog is great. Also, wanted to thank you for the link about teaching in South Korea, it was very helpful. I am a fellow southerner ( Born in Homewood, AL but currently living in Raleigh, NC) who is getting ready to depart for South Korea. I can def relate to many of the posts, esp the ones before and right after your arrival. I went through very similar things when I moved to New Zealand for 8 months last year. I am a bit scared about South Korea due to the language barrier, but I know that the language will come over time.
I enjoy reading your blog, it has alot of good info and some funny rants! Just wanted to shoot ya some kudos!!
Carla
Rocque
I’ve sent you an email. I hope you got it.
Carla
I’m sure you meant to call me “Justin.”
Thanks for reading the blog. Feel free to ask me any questions you have about Korea. Maybe we can meet when you come out here.
hey justin
where did you put your paypal link? we want to buy you a good bottle of scotch ( or whatever passes for scotch there in SK)
howard
Hi Justin…I just downloaded your structure theme…I’m hopping that one day I can create wp themes like you because like you, I’m also a teacher in my country (Malaysia)…so, maybe we can exchange ideas or discuss about education in our free time (being a teacher in Malaysia is hectic)…I love the way you write you about page…I like to get connected with the person behind the blog, each time I visited a new blog…hope we can do something about it
P/S: Can you speak Korean already? I admire you man…living in Korea…one of the country in the world that I would like to visit before I die…
Justin, love the website, i wanted to ask you a question, can you please email me. Thanks, and great job on the site.
Justin,
My husband and I will probably be moving to South Korea in June. We’ve been working with a recruitment agency called Reach to Teach recruiting. http://reachtoteachrecruiting.com/index.html
We’ve been very satisfied with them so far–everything you’ve written about living there sounds like what they have told us about, the good and the difficult! Anyway they just sent us a bunch of info. about Avalon English schools and offered a contract if we are interested. I actually sent the info. to my mom and she googled and found your blog! From everything I’ve read on here, you are pretty satisfied working there. They did mention the possibility of working in Bundang. It looks like they have a ton of campuses all over Seoul. I guess I just wanted to validate that you would recommend working at Avalon. They did give us email addresses of 2 teachers who are working over there that we need to get in touch with. We are supposed to have a phone conference with a Head Teacher in the next week or two. Are there any specific questions you recommend we ask of them before we sign a contract? How does the vacation time work? We noticed in the contract you can’t take any in your first 3 months, and my brother is getting married at the end of September in the US and we wanted to be able to take a few days to go to the wedding. If we start in mid June, do you think they will let us take 2 or 3 days off 3 months later? Thanks for any other information you can provide. Who knows, we may end up being co-workers in a few months!