Things are moving around on this here blog, shifting this way and that. Please continue to be patient. My favorite thing is writing whether publicly or not so updating a few things took me longer than necessary. A while back I moved around some things in an effort to re-design and then life just kept on happening and it got away from me. There are Tweet buttons and Like buttons for Facebook even a Stumble Upon button and I’m still not done yet. It would be just like me to sit here and come up with a deadline for myself and then totally back out of it, so I won’t. It’ll get done. Eventually.

Lately, the problem is that I can’t commit to a single post. Too many thoughts, too much going on in the world.

Like everyone else, I’m monitoring what is happening in Japan and just holding out hope for any good news.

So, there’s that.

And here’s something else.

I was reading comments on a recent post on the issue of “pretty” and this one seemed nice until I followed the link back to this man’s site. I guess it’s a site. What would you call it? I mean, he stole a picture of me without getting my permission. Is that a website or what?

As you can see, I clicked through and found myself. I also gave everyone a 10 to skew the, uh, “results”.

On my original post, he (Nick) said this:

Makes me sad to think my daughters will grow up and think like this. Makes me hopeful I can figure out a way to raise them with a different attitude…

My first email response to his comment:

Hi Nick,

Thanks for the comment. But I am really confused. Aren’t you running a website (is that what Blueberry Mom is, a website? A blog?) where people are allowed to rate how hot or not I am along with many other mommy bloggers? If you’re hoping that your daughters have a different attitude you could start by not contributing to the problem and shut down that site. Your daughters would be insulted, don’t you think? Makes me sad to think you didn’t already think of that before leaving me a comment on my blog.

Sincerely,

Kelly

His email response to me:

Very well said, Kelly. Really points out the irony of it all, doesn’t it?

You write because you love to write? Then why carry ads? What message does that send your children? That it’s OK to love writing but only if you get a .5% click through rate? I suppose we’re both part of the same hypocrisy.

Ok, that’s a bit of a stretch. I guess I built this site for a couple reasons: the technical challenge (I love writing simple applications that people like to interact with, and this one was easy and fun to put together); I love looking at women (I’m a guy); I feel like maybe some folks will find new bloggers to read by using my site (a guy sees an attractive woman and maybe he’ll click over and read some of her stuff).

Nick

There is a lesson to be learned here, mommybloggers. First, you have to be attractive. We’ll get to your thoughts and your writing later, but the most important thing is that you have some standard of beauty before you can even begin blogging. In fact, you should probably fit some sort of beauty standard before you purchase a computer on which to write a blog. Your skin, hair, nails and body must be within acceptable limits. Otherwise, just put that credit card away and don’t even think about getting involved with technology. If you’re unattractive, you might consider taking those hundreds or thousands of dollars you were going to spend on a computer and get your brows waxed, your hair colored, or even some Botox injections. When you are attractive enough, then you may shop around for a computer. Until then, step away from that Apple website and the computer aisle at Best Buy.

Once you have established that you are pretty enough, then you can begin a blog and write about politics (don’t hurt your pretty little head!) and parenting (oh, look at you, you adorable little mommy with thoughts on child rearing!) and education and race and mental illness and cooking and photography and medical ailments and sex and fashion advice and anything of a litigious nature. But make no mistake: if you aren’t attractive and you’re rated on this site, no one will click over to read your thoughts.

Luckily, my children are all pretty grown up by now. By “pretty grown” I mean they are pretty. Every single one of them. Even my sons. Dang, they are so pretty with their beards and gangly legs. In any case, I went ahead and asked them what message my blog ads sent to them. First, they said, “You still writing a blog mom?” and then they asked how much money I get from being in the BlogHer network. I showed them my last check that came in the mail for $26 and they wanted to know what I do with it since I’ve never cashed a check and handed it over to them. So, I told them. I use the money to pay for anything that goes along with having a blog like when I asked for some work done and then paid a nice lady named Jessica for doing it for me. My domain name is paid for through that ad. (That was singular, by the way. I only have had one for the past 4 years.) I pay for the hosting and updating I need. It all goes right back to the blog.

Except when I use it to buy materials for my students. I keep a slush fund for them and they don’t know it. I hardly think they care that I write a blog and get a quarterly check that I use to buy lunches or coats or shoes or notebooks. It’s measly, I tell you, but it has helped a child a time or two.

Of that, I am pleased. This blog isn’t my day job, but it helps to merge my two worlds.

That day job of mine isn’t predicated on my hotness as rated on a scale of one to ten.

So, no, Nick. We’re not part of the same hypocrisy. My blogging world and educational world collide in the most peculiar manner and there is no scale to capture that.

Now, take down my picture from your silly, immature, badly done flash site. You’re messing with my reputation.

*******

Updated: I also just learned that She Posts wrote about the site today.