E₂ Magazine, May 2014

Stories and Stories

For those who have only been here for about thirty seconds, or those who have somehow managed to not read anything in the mean time, we'd like to point out that there is a grand tradition of storytelling here.

Categories and footnotes notwithstanding, it's sometimes hard to tell where the fact ends and the fiction begins. And where do you put all the embellishment, anyway? In any case, this section of E₂ Magazine will point you towards a tiny fraction of the stories in the nodegel, though what we're doing is trying to point out the wonders of the open sea by handing you a few seashells we stumbled across in the surf.

The Whole Truth

Here we have a handful of stories from the lives of noders, each of which fits somehow into our monthly theme.

23 Days in Bhutan is a chronicle of just over three weeks abroad as part of a study abroad program. "23 Days" is the first of a multi-part travelogue in which the author shares observations, thoughts, and all the other little gems that make each trip a different experience for different travelers.

After an utterly absorbing blur through the Kingdom of Bhutan, we need to take a little breather. So take it easy, pull up a rocking chair, and let's allow the late dannye to take us on a trip of another sort. Robin's nest is a life story that never leaves the confines of a neighborhood, let alone the continent, taking us through the season with the author and a family of songbirds.

The next featured writeup has one of those titles that is quite a mouthful: Standing nervously on a white petroleum storage tank under the brazen March sky. But unlike so many others in that class, it's also something to chew on.

... And in the end, isn't that the real truth?

Are the stories in this section true? You have to ask yourself what kind of truth you're looking for. Are they factual? Perhaps, and perhaps not. We either can't tell, or don't want to ask. But if they're lies, they're entertaining lies, and in the end, isn't that the real truth?

First up is A Song in Itself, sent to us by riverrun, who also adds "...it was a fun little outing, years ago, a quest of sorts, via Demeter, in which we had to incorporate a list of words. I've always liked the piece in its own right. I think it got an 'honorable mention' or something."

Here, too, from years ago, is I gave her two daisies. This is how I met your mother. User Intentions recommends this one, "because this is better then every season of HIMYM combined." You know what? We're inclined to agree. There's so much we want to say about it, but too much commentary would spoil the excellence.

And so, we made sweet love with the weather brings us dueling banjos from two E₂ users of legend, accompanied by the refrain of If you ask me about spring, I'll tell you about from a third.

Finally, we round out this section with Key Lime Pie Fiction, a quirky story about cooking and company.

A Jaunt through the Daylogs

User Intentions has scoured the impressive back catalog of Everything₂ daylogs to bring us a collection of favorites from past months of May.

• May 22, 2001, "because I have a soft spot for people's stories."
• May 29, 2001, "because it starts strong, ends strong and gets gooey in the middle with all the day logs."
• May 16, 2002, "because Star Wars II and a melt your heart ending."
• May 26, 2010, "because it made me laugh."

Mom's Fridge

We couldn't figure out where else to put the poetry, but we wanted to show it off anyway. Poetry often does not fare well in the voting here, but that's to be expected when such a diverse crowd is asked to express opinions in a binary fashion. Take it for what it's worth, or take it to heart - the choice is ultimately yours.

The author begins Foul-weather friend "(In a spring mood...)" so it seems only appropriate to begin the section here.

And from the same author, another offering - Hope Springs Eternal. Here's hoping for an eternal spring after this last eternal winter.

The last entry in this section is A Spring, with gentle unfurling and sly days of sunshine, a piece of poetry from one of our most prolific poets.