Theming Geeklog isn't that hard guys, come one. The only confusing concept is how one page may be made up of more than one template file (.thtml). The files themselves are easily edited with no need for understanding PHP and yes, there is actualy HTML in those files. Start by reading the
theme how-to and then decide if it is hard yourself. People tend to forget you can dramatically effect Geeklog's look by only changing a few files:
style.css
header.thtml
footer.thtml
blockheader.thtml
blockfooter.thtml
Now, if you want a radically different theme then it would require some work but that is the case in almost any CMS/BLOG I've seen.
The reason people blame things on previous generations is that there's only one other choice.