New Layout -- like it? hate it? what do you think?

After 2+ years of the same layout here, I'm being dragged kicking and screaming into a new design.  The folks at blog city (who ultimately host this blog), have upgraded their software.  Needless to say, my old design couldnt be automatically migrated, so, with a minimum of fuss, I've created this new look and feel.   Please leave a comment and let me know what you think about this design in relation to the old one.  Is it better, worse, other?  any thoughts appreciated.

 thanks.  jeff