My plan is to install permalinks besides the “about” page in the blue band above the newest post, and to see if I can tweak the colors in this theme.

You can’t tell, I don’t think, but this theme & plugin set is the only combo I’ve played with that actually let me rearrange the order of things in the sidebars. (And not the blogroll. You’re stuck with alpha categories in alpha order. But I think that works.)

I am really so not technical. This is making my brain hurt. But I still welcome your suggestions, especially if they involve you making a cool custom theme for the site. ;)

UPDATE: I figured out how to convert posts to permalink pages in that blue band, but it turns out they disappear from being posts. What I’ll try to do in the short run is post short updates and build pages that are more blogroll-driven.