diff --git a/components/footer.tsx b/components/footer.tsx
index f820ef5..0e4f0b7 100644
--- a/components/footer.tsx
+++ b/components/footer.tsx
@@ -4,33 +4,54 @@ import React, { useState, useEffect, useRef } from 'react'
 const HOME = 'https://hovanhoa.net'
 
 type FooterLink = { label: string; href: string }
+type FooterSection = { title: string; links: FooterLink[] }
 
-const PAGES: FooterLink[] = [
-    { label: 'home', href: 'https://hovanhoa.net' },
-    { label: 'insight', href: 'https://insight.hovanhoa.net' },
-    { label: 'gallery', href: 'https://gallery.hovanhoa.net' },
-    { label: 'music', href: 'https://music.hovanhoa.net' },
-    { label: 'status', href: 'https://status.hovanhoa.net' },
-]
-
-const ELSEWHERE: FooterLink[] = [
-    { label: 'github', href: 'https://github.com/hovanhoa' },
-    { label: 'twitter', href: 'https://twitter.com/_hovanhoa_' },
-    { label: 'linkedin', href: 'https://linkedin.com/in/hovanhoa' },
-    { label: 'connect', href: 'https://info.hovanhoa.net' },
+const SECTIONS: FooterSection[] = [
+    {
+        title: 'apps',
+        links: [
+            { label: 'home', href: 'https://hovanhoa.net' },
+            { label: 'insight', href: 'https://insight.hovanhoa.net' },
+            { label: 'gallery', href: 'https://gallery.hovanhoa.net' },
+            { label: 'music', href: 'https://music.hovanhoa.net' },
+            { label: 'status', href: 'https://status.hovanhoa.net' },
+        ],
+    },
+    {
+        title: 'elsewhere',
+        links: [
+            { label: 'github', href: 'https://github.com/hovanhoa' },
+            { label: 'twitter', href: 'https://twitter.com/_hovanhoa_' },
+            { label: 'linkedin', href: 'https://linkedin.com/in/hovanhoa' },
+        ],
+    },
+    {
+        title: 'more',
+        links: [
+            { label: 'connect', href: 'https://info.hovanhoa.net' },
+            { label: 'llms.txt', href: 'https://hovanhoa.net/llms.txt' },
+        ],
+    },
 ]
 
 const linkClass =
     'font-[family-name:var(--font-mono)] text-sm text-[var(--rd-text-2)] transition-colors duration-200 hover:text-[var(--rd-accent-ink)]'
 
-function LinkRow({ links }: { links: FooterLink[] }) {
+function Section({ title, links }: FooterSection) {
     return (
-        <div className="flex flex-wrap gap-x-7 gap-y-3">
-            {links.map((l) => (
-                <a key={l.label} href={l.href} className={linkClass}>
-                    {l.label}
-                </a>
-            ))}
+        <div>
+            <h3 className="font-[family-name:var(--font-mono)] text-[11.5px] font-medium uppercase tracking-[0.14em] text-[var(--rd-accent)]">
+                {title}
+            </h3>
+            <ul className="mt-4 space-y-2.5">
+                {links.map((l) => (
+                    <li key={l.label}>
+                        <a href={l.href} className={linkClass}>
+                            {l.label}
+                        </a>
+                    </li>
+                ))}
+            </ul>
         </div>
     )
 }
@@ -74,23 +95,33 @@ export function Footer() {
             }}
         >
             <div className="mx-auto max-w-[var(--rd-maxw)] px-[var(--rd-pad)] py-16 sm:py-20">
-                <Link
-                    href={HOME}
-                    className="block text-2xl font-bold tracking-tight text-[var(--rd-text)] sm:text-3xl"
-                >
-                    hovanhoa
-                    <span className="text-[var(--rd-accent)]">.net</span>
-                </Link>
-                <p className="rd-lead mt-4">
-                    software engineer — building, writing, and shipping. one
-                    small corner of the internet, a few sites deep.
-                </p>
+                <div className="grid gap-12 lg:grid-cols-[1.3fr_2fr]">
+                    {/* wordmark + blurb */}
+                    <div>
+                        <Link
+                            href={HOME}
+                            className="block text-2xl font-bold tracking-tight text-[var(--rd-text)] sm:text-3xl"
+                        >
+                            hovanhoa
+                            <span className="text-[var(--rd-accent)]">
+                                .net
+                            </span>
+                        </Link>
+                        <p className="rd-lead mt-4">
+                            software engineer — building, writing, and shipping.
+                            one small corner of the internet, a few sites deep.
+                        </p>
+                    </div>
 
-                <div className="mt-12 space-y-4">
-                    <LinkRow links={PAGES} />
-                    <LinkRow links={ELSEWHERE} />
+                    {/* sectioned links */}
+                    <div className="grid grid-cols-2 gap-x-8 gap-y-10 sm:grid-cols-3">
+                        {SECTIONS.map((s) => (
+                            <Section key={s.title} {...s} />
+                        ))}
+                    </div>
                 </div>
 
+                {/* bottom row */}
                 <div className="mt-14 flex flex-col gap-3 border-t border-[var(--rd-border)] pt-6 font-[family-name:var(--font-mono)] text-xs text-[var(--rd-text-3)] sm:flex-row sm:items-center sm:justify-between">
                     <p>© 2026 hovanhoa</p>
                     <p>
@@ -127,3 +158,5 @@ export function Footer() {
         </footer>
     )
 }
+
+export default Footer
diff --git a/utils/generateBlurPlaceholder.ts b/utils/generateBlurPlaceholder.ts
index bb5bfeb..eb1bb01 100644
--- a/utils/generateBlurPlaceholder.ts
+++ b/utils/generateBlurPlaceholder.ts
@@ -11,10 +11,16 @@ export default async function getBase64ImageUrl(
   if (url) {
     return url;
   }
-  const response = await fetch(
-    `https://res.cloudinary.com/${process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME}/image/upload/f_jpg,w_8,q_70/${image.public_id}.${image.format}`,
-  );
-  const buffer = await response.arrayBuffer();
+  let buffer: ArrayBuffer;
+  try {
+    const response = await fetch(
+      `https://res.cloudinary.com/${process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME}/image/upload/f_jpg,w_8,q_70/${image.public_id}.${image.format}`,
+    );
+    buffer = await response.arrayBuffer();
+  } catch {
+    // DIAG: tolerate offline blur fetch so the page can render locally
+    return "data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==";
+  }
   const minified = await imagemin.buffer(Buffer.from(buffer), {
     plugins: [imageminJpegtran()],
   });