overhauling this site was a nightmare
i have a lot to say about overhauling my website, let me tell you. it was a complete nightmare.
from the very beginning, i had to come up with workarounds to avoid using javascript, mainly because of my lack of knowledge on it and the fact that i wanted my site to be as javascript free as possible.
so, with that in mind, coming up with these workarounds was a mess. i remember spending hours trying to come up with a way to create a menu that could be updated once without having to go through every single page using only HTML and CSS.
i couldn't wrap my brain around it and then it hit me. an iframe. an. IFRAME.
how did i not think of that earlier? i must be an absolute dumbass!
seriously though, it's frustrating when you get so caught up in stuff so convoluted you just forget about simple stuff. it's like your brain just decides to take a vacation when you need it the most.
but that was only the beginning of a months long nightmare.
the design process was terrible. i remember going back into my website after arming myself of brand new knowledge on web development with HTML and CSS. but there was a problem...
i absolutely suck at web design. so, the first design i came up with for the overhaul was shittier than a pile of dog crap. and i thought i was doing a pretty good job too!
the realization hit me when i was looking at the current state of my website and the new design, it left me speechless. in a terrible way.
it was clunky, the layout sucked, and worst of all, the design clashed modern and retro elements in such an awkward way it was vomit inducing at best. it's like i couldn't decide what direction i wanted to go in, so i just spewed out stuff, put it together and hoped for the best.
the design was scrapped. i started from scratch, again and came up with the current design, which i am really, really happy about. it finally has a cohesive retro aesthetic! just like i wanted it to be.
another elephant in the room was the HTML code. i mean, it was a mess, it sucked, it didn't follow HTML5 standards and had to be rewritten from the ground up, but the main reason was completely different.
it being the fact that the HTML code was made to perfectly fit the mess of the old stylesheet, and when i had to rewrite the CSS file, everything broke. so yeah, HTML was also rewritten.
now, let's not forget about the procrastination, i wasn't sat on a chair working on the website all day every day. in fact, it was quite the opposite.
i was busy, i had a million other things to do. studying can be a real bitch. hours upon hours memorizing information while trying to balance other responsibilities, it's enough stress to make anyone want to pull their hair out.
every time was like "oh, i'll just work on it tomorrow!" and then tomorrow turns into next week, and then the next month, and before you know it, the site still looks like a pile of steaming shit.
but you know what? despite this mess, it's satisfying about seeing your work paying off. it's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. it was still a pain in the ass though.