This is my friend's lj code and I can't figure out how to add a background image, can someone please help me with the merge, i can't get it, specifically, I'm trying to make it fixed also, ANY help would be awesome:

FRIENDS_TALK_READLINK=><a href="%%urlread%%"> %%messagecount%%%%mc-plural-%% took the time </a>|

LASTN_TALK_READLINK=><a href="%%urlread%%"> %%messagecount%%%%mc-plural-%% took the time </a>|

DAY_TALK_LINKS<=
<tr>
<td align="right" colspan="2" width="150%" bgcolor="%%color:weak_back%%" class="comments">
%%readlink%%<a href="%%urlpost%%">post</a>
</td>
</tr>
<=DAY_TALK_LINKS

GLOBAL_HEAD<=
<style TYPE="text/css">
a:hover {text-decoration:underline;text-transform:underline; background:#000000; border:dashed 1.1; height:0; filter:fliph; cursor:s-resize;}
body, html, td, font, div, p {
font-family: tahoma;
font-size: 8pt;
line-height: 13px;
body, html, td, font, div, p { font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 9pt }
A:link { font-family: Tahoma; text-decoration: none; cursor: crosshair }
A:visited { font-family: Tahoma; text-decoration: none; cursor: s-resize }
A:active {text-decoration: line-through; cursor: s-resize; font-size:9pt }
a:hover {text-decoration: none; color: #999999;s-resize:help;font-weight:none; text-decoration: none; position:relative; top:2px;}
table {width:50%; border:0px solid #999999;}
table table {width: 100%; margin:0; border:1; border:2px solid #000000;}
table table table {width: 0%; border:1; }
table table table table {width: 100%; }
-->
-->
</style>
<style TYPE="text/css"> <!--
body {
SCROLLBAR-FACE-COLOR: #000000;
cursor:n-resize;
SCROLLBAR-FACE-COLOR: #000000;
SCROLLBAR-HIGHLIGHT-COLOR: #999999;
SCROLLBAR-SHADOW-COLOR: #000000;
SCROLLBAR-3DLIGHT-COLOR: #999999;
SCROLLBAR-ARROW-COLOR: #999999;
SCROLLBAR-TRACK-COLOR: #000000;
SCROLLBAR-DARKSHADOW-COLOR: #999999;}
-->
</style>
<style><!--
td p {text-align: left;
text-left: inter-word}
--></style>

<meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type">
<meta content="progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.GradientWipe(Dur ation=4)" http-equiv="Page-Enter">
<meta content="progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.GradientWipe(Dur ation=4)" http-equiv="Page-Exit">


<=GLOBAL_HEAD

LASTN_TALK_LINKS<=
<tr>
<td align="right" colspan="2" width="150%" bgcolor="%%color:weak_back%%" class="comments">
%%readlink%%<a href="%%urlpost%%">post</a>
</td>
</tr>
<=LASTN_TALK_LINKS

When you merge, you just put the stuff with the same heading (like global head) under the same catetory, so you don't have more than one of the same header.

The only thing that needs merging is the global head, so I didn't touch the rest. All I did, really, was take out the style tags so it was one stylesheet, and I also added the background image tags.

GLOBAL_HEAD<=
<style TYPE="text/css">
a:hover {text-decoration:underline;text -transform:underline; background:#000000; border:dashed 1.1; height:0; filter:fliph; cursor:s-resize;}
body, html, td, font, div, p {
font-family: tahoma;
font-size: 8pt;
line-height: 13px;
body, html, td, font, div, p { font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 9pt }
A:link { font-family: Tahoma; text-decoration: none; cursor: crosshair }
A:visited { font-family: Tahoma; text-decoration: none; cursor: s-resize }
A:active {text-decoration: line-through; cursor: s-resize; font-size:9pt }
a:hover {text-decoration: none; color: #999999;s-resize:help;font-weight:none; text-decoration: none; position:relative; top:2px;}
table {width:50%; border:0px solid #999999;}
table table {width: 100%; margin:0; border:1; border:2px solid #000000;}
table table table {width: 0%; border:1; }
table table table table {width: 100%; }

body {
background-image:url(imageurl.jpg);
background-attachment:fixed;
SCROLLBAR-FACE-COLOR: #000000;
cursor:n-resize;
SCROLLBAR-FACE-COLOR: #000000;
SCROLLBAR-HIGHLIGHT-COLOR: #999999;
SCROLLBAR-SHADOW-COLOR: #000000;
SCROLLBAR-3DLIGHT-COLOR: #999999;
SCROLLBAR-ARROW-COLOR: #999999;
SCROLLBAR-TRACK-COLOR: #000000;
SCROLLBAR-DARKSHADOW-COLOR: #999999;}
td p {text-align: left;
text-left: inter-word}
-->
</style>

<meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type">
<meta content="progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.GradientWipe(Dur ation=4)" http-equiv="Page-Enter">
<meta content="progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.GradientWipe(Dur ation=4)" http-equiv="Page-Exit">


<=GLOBAL_HEAD

I entered that code, but it still just has a plain gray background

This is my new code, and it still has a grey background

FRIENDS_TALK_READLINK=><a href="%%urlread%%"> %%messagecount%%%%mc-plural-%% took the time </a>|

LASTN_TALK_READLINK=><a href="%%urlread%%"> %%messagecount%%%%mc-plural-%% took the time </a>|

DAY_TALK_LINKS<=
<tr>
<td align="right" colspan="2" width="150%" bgcolor="%%color:weak_back%%" class="comments">
%%readlink%%<a href="%%urlpost%%">post</a>
</td>
</tr>
<=DAY_TALK_LINKS

GLOBAL_HEAD<=
<style TYPE="text/css">
a:hover {text-decoration:underline;text -transform:underline; background:#000000; border:dashed 1.1; height:0; filter:fliph; cursor:s-resize;}
body, html, td, font, div, p {
font-family: tahoma;
font-size: 8pt;
line-height: 13px;
body, html, td, font, div, p { font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 9pt }
A:link { font-family: Tahoma; text-decoration: none; cursor: crosshair }
A:visited { font-family: Tahoma; text-decoration: none; cursor: s-resize }
A:active {text-decoration: line-through; cursor: s-resize; font-size:9pt }
a:hover {text-decoration: none; color: #999999;s-resize:help;font-weight:none; text-decoration: none; position:relative; top:2px;}
table {width:50%; border:0px solid #999999;}
table table {width: 100%; margin:0; border:1; border:2px solid #000000;}
table table table {width: 0%; border:1; }
table table table table {width: 100%; }
body {
background-image:http://www.geocities.com/eynden/rainbow.gif;
background-repeat: repeat;
background-attachment:fixed;
SCROLLBAR-FACE-COLOR: #000000;
cursor:n-resize;
SCROLLBAR-FACE-COLOR: #000000;
SCROLLBAR-HIGHLIGHT-COLOR: #999999;
SCROLLBAR-SHADOW-COLOR: #000000;
SCROLLBAR-3DLIGHT-COLOR: #999999;
SCROLLBAR-ARROW-COLOR: #999999;
SCROLLBAR-TRACK-COLOR: #000000;
SCROLLBAR-DARKSHADOW-COLOR: #999999;}
td p {text-align: left;
text-left: inter-word}
-->
</style>

<meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type">
<meta content="progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.GradientWipe(Dur ation=4)" http-equiv="Page-Enter">
<meta content="progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.GradientWipe(Dur ation=4)" http-equiv="Page-Exit">


<=GLOBAL_HEAD

LASTN_TALK_LINKS<=
<tr>
<td align="right" colspan="2" width="150%" bgcolor="%%color:weak_back%%" class="comments">
%%readlink%%<a href="%%urlpost%%">post</a>
</td>
</tr>
<=LASTN_TALK_LINKS

You need the parenthesis around the background image:

background-image:url(http://www.geocities.com/eynden/rainbow.gif);

Also, geocities doesn't allow direct linking, so you'll have to find another image host.

thank you VERY much!!

No problem :)