For now, I am trying to deal with the small number this time (in previous years it was quite large) of people who did not send all the right things in with their entries. Some didn't send an entry form. Some didn't send a check or proof of payment. One person sent us a check for $100 payable to his neighbor. The neighbor later sent us a check for $15 and asked us to return the check to him. Funny stuff. We don't take it personally. It's stressful to submit to a contest. We know. But some things go beyond the pale. One year I had a woman send us cash for the entry fee--I think it was $20--and then ask for $5 change to be sent back to her. Really? Okay I can humor that, but she didn't even include a SASE. And she lived in Canada. I don't remember what I ended up doing.
But regardless of these blunders, it doesn't prejudice anyone in the contest. I have know idea who it was. His or her story just went into the pile with the others, with no name on it.
I do have to say that I enjoy reading the titles though as I sort through them. Some make me very curious. Like "Rammed in the Rear" and "The Chihuahua from Hell" just to name a couple.
I also enjoy reading how people heard about the contest. It lets me know how information travels from one person to the next, from one site to the next. I feel very connected to everyone in the whole world through a sort of clay and toothpick model. I suppose that two degrees of separation is really possible.
I can't wait to give an update in a few weeks. From all of us, we'd like to say thanks for all your patience and trust with your personal stories.
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