Dichroic Reflections

Where do I go from here?

Blah. I don't think I have Rudder's cold (he's still not over it -- nasty
cold!) but I have had a sore throat and a blah-ish feeling all weekend. It's been
nice having the real chicken soup around, anyway. I feel a bit better now, but my
throat hurts more, probably because I've been coughing more. It mostly seems to be
just in my throat, though, not in my head and only minorly in my lungs. Could be
worse.

In addition to feeling scratchy and constricted in the throat,
I've also been feeling a bit constricted here, at Diaryland, lately. I'm
reasonably happy with being able to create my page in raw HTML, and the server's
been mostly reliable lately, so it's mostly a matter of lack of space for photos -
- only 5 mB. The options seem to be as follows:

• Upgrade to
  SuperGold, 30 mB for $54/year, no new interface to
  learn
• Go to Typepad and learn a simple interface, 100 mB for
  $108/year, or get 200mB for $180/year and get to choose between simple I/F
  and HTML. Also, if I buy a domain name I can redirect it there. Also, if I want to
  register a domain name it's $4.95 and up -- but I think there are hidden
  costs
• Go to a hosting service and learn MovableType, which
  sounds like a pretty large hassle. Then again, I do have a programming background,
  which may or may not help. Cost: Approx $120/year for 200mB (varies). Some
  hosts will also throw in registration of a domain name.
• Stay at D-
  land and just buy space elsewhere to host photos -- don't know how much if any
  coding would be required.

I'd appreciate feedback from
people familiar with one or more of these options and any others I've missed, and
for hosts you'd recommend - or not. (Natalie, I did bookmark the one you
recommended.)

Thanks!