Since reading Andy Clarke's Transcending CSS, I've come to the realization that I'm a slacker. Reading along as Clarke created superb web pages without a solitary div was an eye-opening experience. Not altogether a comfortable one. Because soon after, I had to open up a file of my own HTML markup and confront The Creature.

I ran across this list on the IEBlog while searching for...ahem, cough, uh, a hack. Microsoft offers this "list of common CSS hacks" and says these are the bugs they're ridding the world of in IE7 and that will soon break any pages you've used them on...

Recently I've been in a battle against large, messy, unwieldy style sheets. I always start out so neatly, organizing my rules by selector and carefully keeping track of them. Then sometime around 3 a.m. one morning, the neatness wears off. I can't remember if I've already written a rule similar to what I need, and frankly I've stopped caring. The heck with it, I grumble, let's just write a new rule and toss it in there.

I had to edit this a little for sense. Apparently, I'm not at my best at 4 a.m.

For designers who are used to tables, the most frustrating thing about CSS isn't learning new markup or memorizing new style rules. No, the most difficult thing is changing the way we think about designing and building pages.

After a short absence due to being buried under, I'm back to say... I finally finished the beta version of my first all-CSS design for a client. Yay! I'm very proud and tired. Here are my initial thoughts about building a "real" CSS site for the first time.

All right. I've done it. Sort of. I finally finished my first CSS designed site. It took me two days and half a bottle of Tylenol to accomplish what I used to whip off, half-asleep, in two hours. I also had to apologize to my kids twice and my husband once for snapping at them. I don't foresee my mood improving anytime soon.