Carnival of The Storytellers 3rd Edition

Welcome to the 3rd edition of Carnival of the Storytellers.

Well…it seemed like a good idea. “Hey- maybe I should have people submit stories about how they met their significant other for the next Carnival…”

I had a few nice folks follow instructions, but others not so much. That’s okay, but I must tell those that did not do what was requested that I will be reducing your grade one full level, and you will NOT, under any circumstances, be allowed to participate in the class party at the end of the Carnival.

*****C*A*R*N*I*V*A*L***OF***T*H*E***S*T*O*R*Y*T*E*L*L*E*R*S*****




I am a big believer in a world that is about 5% coincidence and 95% intelligent design. Too many things line up to bring about change and action to be chalked up to galactic accidents. Local Girl came within minutes of possibly never meeting her future husband- all because she just didn’t feel up to a night out. Check out Finally Found Prince Charming posted at Local Girl to get the full story. I would bet though, that if she wouldn’t have met him that night, it most likely would have happened another. They are meant to be together, and something as minor as a night of wanting to stay home and relax couldn’t possibly derail true love.

Kathy Maister, the wedding crasher, met her future husband in Meeting David posted at Kathy Maister's startcooking.com. Being a wedding-crasher doesn’t just get you a fun and free party- sometimes it can get you a brand new mate. I have crashed a few weddings in my time- there is just something so fun about walking in and immediately being able to have raucous laughter and conversation with people you absolutely don't know, while they ply you with fine food and drink.

I will wrap up this special section of the Carnival with my own short recounting of how I met Michelle, after which we will move on to the trouble makers that didn’t follow instructions.

I met Michelle just before Thanksgiving Day 1982 when I was 16 years old. Our family had just moved to the area, and the church we were attending (The Gaithersburg Church of the Nazarene) had a fun tradition. A certain family that attended there would invite anyone over for Thanksgiving dinner that didn't have other plans or family in town. It was insane. A house full of adults wandering around the upper floors of a big house with plates of turkey and dressing, while everyone under 18 was in the basement playing ping-pong, pool and other assorted games. I wandered down to the basement not knowing anybody, and started the ritual work of trying to make friends, fit in, and not look like a loner goofball. Shortly after making the rounds in that massive basement, I spotted an attractive young lady looking to be about my age, and made my move. “Hey there- what’s your name?” I chatted her up and really liked her. After a few minutes of conversation she mentioned that she was 13 years old and in the 8th grade. Yikes! At 16, if you realize the person you are attracted to is more than a year younger you instantly feel sick to your stomach and put the brakes on. “So…umm…do you have an older sister by any chance?” I said with a grin, seeking to end the conversation. “Yes- I do. Her name is Michelle and she’s right over there.”


And now for the class clowns…




I found this next post to be very interesting. An exhaustively detailed and accurate recounting of the history of Valentines Day- Jarod Kearney’s Romance in a Mass-Produced Envelope: The History of Valentine's Day posted at Jarod's Forge. It is so historically accurate and dead-on that is should be uploaded to Wikipedia.







Adam presents us with a rather distrurbing parable of life and death incarnate. I tried my best to read the message within the story, but either I just don’t get it, or I am in total disagreement with what I think the message is. And now, a random parable of my own making posted at Sophistpundit, seems to say to me that there isn’t anything worth laying your life down for. I just don’t agree. Maybe I am missing the point. What do you think?

Jarod Kearney makes his second appearance of the carnival with a fun short story based in ancient and modern day Rome. I loved it- not only do I dig fiction mixed with history, I love to read about Rome and the ancient Roman empire. A fun and quick read. Check out A Historical Short-Story: "The Mechanism" posted at Jarod's Forge







I enjoy learning about any kind of history, and reading about historical places, people and events. This includes the history all around us- generations before that walked the same places we do now. In Tim Abbott’s post, Now and Then at Walking the Berkshires, he takes a photo of his grandparents home from the same location and angle as one taken 60 years prior and talks about all that has changed over the years.

Suldog’s story Solomon The Milkman posted at Suldog-O-Rama, is awesome. It describes his paternal grandfather's adventures as a temporary Jew in a neighborhood in Boston many years ago. It’s shorter than Id like it to be, but a very fun read. I think its got the right stuff to turn into a “inspired by a true story” book with lots of funny possibilities for an nice Irish gent in the midst of his Jewish customers. I can picture in my mind Zero Mostel dancing around with a milk jug in his hand singing "If I Were A Rich Man" in a thick Irish accent. Now that's entertainment.







I enjoy original ideas and concepts, and this blog and the post submitted would most certainly fit into the “original” folder. flic presents Institutionalized but not forgotten posted at American Center for Surreal and Paranoid Life. It is the sad story of a man enduring the consequences of a psychological disorder, who decides he wants to write childrens stories, the first of which is found at the link at the bottom of the post. An interesting and intriguing read.

Sarah Winfrey presents 55 ways young couples can save money for their wedding posted at Wisebread. This is for any readers that will score big this Valentines and have a wedding in the near future. It is a very detailed post with tons of information for young couples. So much so, that after reading through it, I am more thankful than ever that those days are past for me.

Karen Lynch describes so well that life happens while your busy doing other things…it is not something that finally arrives when you are done getting everything squared away. Her post The Joy and the Journey posted at LivethePower are private thoughts laid bare- about the joy of thinking, planning, doing and sharing. It reminded me of two quotes I like: “To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labor.”-Robert Louis Stevenson, and “One day in retrospect the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.”- Sigmund Freud (In my humble opinion, one of the few wise things Mr. Freud ever said).


*****C*A*R*N*I*V*A*L***OF***T*H*E***S*T*O*R*Y*T*E*L*L*E*R*S*****


That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of the Storytellers using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.






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