I chose the name Alpujarra West because it all started as a site to talk about the Alpujarra - a very special place in the mountains of southern Spain where I lived for over 10 years - and watched it change drastically. As I got further into the project, however, I realized I was just re-inventing the wheel. If you do a search for "Alpujarra" in your favorite search engine, you'll see what I mean.

So I decided to use the name for a bunch of other stuff I've done over the years. And so Alpujarra West became a spirit rather than a place.

Elegí el nombre de Alpujarra West porque todo comenzó como una web para hablar de la Alpujarra - un lugar muy especial en la Sierra Nevada del sur de España donde viví durante más de 10 años - y vi cómo cambió drásticamente. Pero a medida que se iba desarrollando el proyecto, me di cuenta que sólo estaba "re-inventando la rueda". Si haces una búsqueda para "Alpujarra" en tu buscador preferido, verás lo que quiero decir.

Así que decidí utilizar el nombre para reunir una serie de proyectos que he diseñado a lo largo de varios años. Y así Alpujarra West dejó de ser un lugar y se convertió en un espíritu.

After years of trying to do things according to the Webring rules, adapting to changes in the rules, trying to figure out how the navigation code works, broken URLs at their website, etc., etc., etc., I finally decided to get out. All communication between me and my various ringmasters seemed to have broken down, and I'd spent too many hours unsuccessfully trying to get the navigation code to work according to the latest change in the rules.

I dropped out of all my rings with the intention of closing my account, but there was one I didn't want to leave. So I tried again and, with the help of the WR support people, managed to get things working.

But I guess there's a reason behind some of life's less pleasant moments. I decided I wasn't going back to some of the rings I'd been in before. I don't fit there anymore and need a change of direction.