Reckons of Crass Construction

Gigi over at Kludgy Mom has a whole lot of website going on. Fun, creative, nurturing, and talented, Gigi has a place where moms feel comfortable dropping in, dropping out, meeting like-minded bloggers and sharing ideas.

But not all is sunshine and gumdrops at the site, perhaps the kludgy part of the name hinting at a darker, unhappier side of motherhood. In that vein, Gigi started a bloghop called Friday Flip-Offs, the title a tad more sinister than actual posts. At first, I liked the idea of joining a cluster of rants, but then chickened out, figuring I could rant at my own Carnival of Rants.

But then I saw Gigi's flip-offs again and decided this time around I really would give it a whirl. Besides, I promised I would do it and a good Do Bee never goes back on a promise.

I'm happy to report that the first edition of a Carnival of Rants is finally up and running. Yay.

I wasn't expecting so many submissions. Seriously, it was a little overwhelming. Thankfully, the blog carnival site is offering something new called "Insta-Carnival" where they basically do all the leg work for you and all you have to do is copy and paste the HTML into your own site.

Some of the submissions didn't fit the description of the Carnival and/or did not link back to this site, unfortunately. Yup. Only two requirements. I guess that was too much for some people to handle.

Of course, I'm hoping they'll submit again and that we get even more submissions from people who like to moan and complain. The more the merrier as far as I'm concerned.

The Carnival of Rants


carnival of rants

I'm noticing that a lot of other mothers who might go out of their freakin minds if they didn't blog Mommy bloggers like to start off their week by writing a recap of their weekend activities -- what they did, who they saw, where they changed their kid's diaper, how much alcohol they consumed to get past a random in-law visit, that sort of thing.

All fine and good if you like looking at pictures of people you'll never meet, watching videos of places you don't want to visit, and reading mundane stories that go on ad nauseum divulging intimate details you couldn't give a flying fig about. I don't mean to be cruel, but honestly, how many readers are actually interested in little Johnny's trip to the barbershop or baby Megan's temper tantrum in the middle of a shopping mall?

Just a minute, Megan, while Mommy takes out her flip camera to record you outside of Chick-fil-A kicking on the floor and screaming at the top of your lungs. This baby is going right up on YouTube. A little louder now, brat, like you really mean it.

Who has time to wade through this blather?

I'm not joking.

Somewhere, somehow, some way, I know Technorati is a useful blogging tool, bringing people from all walks of life together in a brilliant burst of the best and brightest the blogosphere has to offer. Gazillions of new articles appear there every day, vying for ranking and recognition. Someone should publish a cheat.

A Baltimore elementary school needed to raise test scores so badly, it bypassed tried and true methods such as hard work and motivation in favor of an easier technique. Cheating.

State assessment test booklets from students attending George Washington Elementary School  contained thousands of eraser marks changing wrong answers to right - a gigantic slap in the face to a namesake's reputation if ever there was. School administrators finally admitted the cheating scandal after the Maryland State Department of Education and Baltimore City Schools conducted a massive two-year investigation. Officials checked erasure patterns, the number of answers changed, and the direction of eraser marks to confirm initial suspicions.

The school is now in jeopardy of losing its status as a National Blue Ribbon School, an award bestowed by the U.S. Department of  Education in 2007. Baltimore City Schools CEO Andre Alonso also revoked the teaching certificate of the school's 2008 principal. Former Principal Susan Burgess was not assigned to a new school and no longer works for City Schools.

The world is overflowing with people who either intentionally or unknowingly piss other people off. There should be a tactful way of telling such people they are rude, arrogant, and beyond all human endurance. Sadly, I have yet to find it.

Like the clueless financial conglomerate trying to hawk another money-sucking product no one needs. Don't these people know that no matter how many times they interrupt an otherwise pleasant day, the person they want to speak with is never home? What is it about "please send your information in the mail because the person is unavailable" don't they understand?