Thanks. I was thinking in terms of usability. The further distance from end of blog and comments section, I would think would decrease the likelihood of user adding comments.

Why not simplify the blogging region and add a general disclaimer at the very bottom of the page - not the blog post but the actual page?

Using the same concept, template's could be used for other regular responses as well. For example, I sometimes get emails to my business email for tech support that should go to a tech support address. A simple templating takes care of such responses.

If you get an off-email once, respond with an appropriate reply. If you start getting that type of email on a regular basis, turn your answer into a template.

I see that your template responses can be lengthy as well as polite. The more details, the less likely to receive follow-up emails.
My recent post Do You Sing When You Are Behind The Mixer?

Thanks for the marathon reminder. Now I've got something new to do this year! Before I lagged in the cardio department at the end of last year, I was down to a 12 minute mile. I have always been more of a sprinter than a long-distance runner. This is a good year to push myself for a mini marathon. Push myself - and release a lot of stress!
My recent post The Five Audio Mistakes I Made in 2009

Take the resolutions and print them out. Put them in the front of your dayplanner. That's where I also keep my 90 day plans. This way, I see then every day.
Also, break them down into timeframes
"Read through the entire Bible by December 31, 2010."
Do you know how much time you have to read per day or per week? You could be looking at October and only be half way through. Consider breaking down by book or by pages. This way, you know if you are still on target to reach your goal.
My recent post The Five Audio Mistakes I Made in 2009

My major life lesson... volunteering too much equals overcommitment which effects relationship with my family.

I've been to Costa Rica. I remember those shower heads. There is a fine line between "do I want to kill myself" and "I haven't had a hot shower in days." I showered - I lived on the edge. Never got fried but heard of those that did get a jolt. One day I found a scorpion under my pillow. Talk about a sign it was time to leave!

Ah, advertising.. :)

What if you used a single static photo of yourself? Your insensedebate profile pic would be a good one. And don't make it huge. Make it half the column with the "about me" details being to the left or right? Just ideas.

John, excellent points on the ipod and droid. "Back in the day" is was all about browser compatibility. Now designers have to consider hardware compatibility.

Great design. You did evolve it and not revolutionize it. I was hoping that would be your goal.

1. I expected the first feature article to be the most recent blog post. I know the blog posts are just south of the featured item block. That's a hard balance I go between myself. One minute I like it, the next minute, not so much.

2. Your twitter feed it below your advertisements. My thought is that community / connection should always come before advertisements. I'd put it below the popular posts block.

3. The quote on "Abba Joseph" that is "on mystery" strikes me as weird. Quotes are fun to add to a site (inspirational, educational) but that one seems out of place.

4. I miss your photo at the top. The blog has your name. But it's not until i scroll down the page (below the fold) that I see anything about you.

5. The search option should either be near the top (below the twitter/feed icons) or at the bottom. Anything in between makes it hard to find.

Pro's:
1. I like the white border all around - gives a clean look.
2. I like two-columns.
3. Blog post ideas have always had a nice structure (blog/link love/related posts/comments) and I'm glad you've kept that.

A bit of a warning perhaps...the featured posts at the top...how often will those change? Is it automated? In short, you could have the same 10 featured articles for three months and that can indicate to visitors your content has become stale.