IN LIEU OF A CARNIVAL. There is yet another showcase for weblog superintendents seeking readership. This one is called Best of Me Symphony, and Opus 13 is now playing at Ambient Irony. Next week's host will be Irritable Blog Syndrome, and the call for submissions and structures and forms (it's not just train orders that must be in the proper form, mind you) are at Snooze Button Dreams.

The most important rule to keep in mind is that the Symphony is supposed to recognize classic posts, meaning those more than two months old, and entrants are encouraged to recognize the classic posts of others. Should be a good place for train enthusiasts to hang out.

Why? Consider the old joke: How many railfans does it take to change a lightbulb?

Seven. Only one changes the lightbulb, but one has to make the coffee, and everyone else has to talk about how good the old lightbulb was, and how the modern lightbulbs are for s***.